By: Linda Dede Nyanya Godji Incoom
For decades, academics and researchers across Ghana’s universities and research institutions have raised concerns over the absence of a dedicated national research fund to support academic research and innovation in the country. A situation that stifles scientific development and innovation, as many scientists find it difficult to get their research published, with much of it ending up on the shelves.
According to the 2019 DFID-commissioned report assessing Ghana’s research system, Ghana spends just 0.4 percent of GDP on research and development, far below the global average of approximately 2.7 percent.
Aside from the payment of compensation (salary) by government, the research and book allowances, about 80-90 percent of research funding comes from donors. A Senior Research Scientist (Seed Scientist and Intellectual Property Professional) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. Hillary Mireku Botery, notes that while some of the funded projects are largely based on local challenges, the inadequacy and short duration of these funded projects limit the extent to which the results may address real local problem.
To reverse the trend, the National Research Fund Act 1056 was passed by Parliament in 2020 which finally led to the establishment of the Ghana National Research Fund in 2025, with an initial government allocation of 50 million Ghana Cedis. However, establishing the Fund was only the first step; making it functional required deliberate institutional and technical groundwork.
Building a functional National Research Fund
This is where the FCDO-UNESCO Sankore Project “Strengthening Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Systems and Digital Inclusion in West Africa” has played a critical supporting role. The project has contributed to the institutional backbone required to make the GNRF operational, marking a critical shift in how the country finances research and innovation. Now the Fund is no longer a promise. It is a reality poised to transform the country’s knowledge economy.
Speaking at the closing event of the project, the National Professional Officer, Natural Sciences at UNESCO Accra, Ms. Melody Boateng, noted that with the Sankore project, the legal framework underpinning the Fund has been strengthened, with legislative instruments being developed to support full implementation. Stakeholder consultations are ongoing to ensure alignment with national priorities. In addition, a comprehensive five-year strategic plan has been developed, supported by a resource mobilisation strategy designed to attract funding beyond government allocations, including private sector and international partners.
A key component of this effort is the development of a digital grants management system embedded within the Fund’s operations. This system is expected to enhance transparency, streamline grant administration, and build trust among researchers and stakeholders.
She also added that one objective was to build a fund that is strategic, credible, and transparent. “We don’t want the GNRF to be like any other funding instrument. We want it to be very strategic and focused in its operations,” she noted.
Why the operationalisation of the GNRF matters now
The operationalisation of the GNRF represents a significant shift in Ghana’s approach to research financing. A functional national research fund provides a structured mechanism for investing in science and innovation, enabling the country to align research priorities with national development goals. It also reduces reliance on donor-driven research, giving Ghana greater control over its research agenda.
Dr. Hillary Mireku Botey of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Intellectual Property Office, stated that while some donor-funded projects address local challenges, their short duration and limited scale often constrain long-term impact. In other instances, research priorities are shaped externally and may not align with Ghana’s most pressing needs. “He who pays the piper calls the tune,” he noted, warning that continued reliance on donor funding is unsustainable for solving local problems at scale.
The Acting Administrator of the Fund, Prof. Abigail Mensah Opoku, explained that the government has taken decisive steps to operationalise the long-standing Act establishing the fund, recognising the urgency of moving it from policy to practice. She stressed the need to fast-track the processes required to develop and pass a supporting Legislative Instrument to back its implementation. According to her, with support from the project, the process of developing this Legislative Instrument is now at an advanced stage and nearing completion, adding that once it is passed by Parliament, it will provide the legal backing required to make the fund fully functional.
What does an effective GNRF mean for Ghana’s economy?
According to the Technology and Innovation Adviser at FCDO’s West Africa Research and Innovation Hub, Ms. Chisom Udemezue, there is a direct link between strong national research systems and economic growth; hence, it is imperative for countries to own their research agenda, and owning it means funding it.
Beyond strengthening research governance, the true test of the GNRF lies in its ability to deliver measurable economic outcomes. As part of its broader intervention, the Sankore Project also supported efforts to address this gap. Working with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was supported to conduct a commercialisation audit and the development of a structured framework to guide how research output can be transformed into market-ready solutions.
Dr. Botey noted that the operationalisation of the GNRF comes at a critical time, particularly as donor funding declines. He emphasised that the Fund will provide sustained support for priority areas such as food security, environmental management, and industrialisation among others. Drawing on CSIR’s track record, he highlighted that institutions such as the CSIR-Crops Research Institute and the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) have developed nearly 90 percent of Ghana’s improved crop varieties, largely without the benefit of a national research fund. The GNRF, he explained, has the potential to scale such impact by strengthening collaboration across research institutions and the local industry to ensure long-term sustainability and national ownership of research outputs.
On the question of translating research into market-ready solutions, Dr. Botey stressed the need for deliberate investment in scaling promising technologies. He pointed to international models such as the UK’s Government Office for Technology Transfer, which provides financial and technical support to facilitate the commercialisation and knowledge exchange of publicly funded research. While acknowledging that CSIR has existing structures to support technology transfer, he noted that these require strengthening, particularly in areas such as intellectual property management, digital systems, and private sector engagement.
The economic benefits of a functional GNRF are expected to manifest across multiple dimensions, including:
Driving Innovation-Led Growth: A well-funded research system supports innovation in several sectors, including agriculture, health, energy, and manufacturing. This can translate to the creation of new products, startups, and industries, generating jobs, particularly for young graduates. For instance, Ghana’s annual import bill is approximately $2 billion, largely spent on rice, tomatoes, sugar, and poultry. Redirecting a portion of that expenditure toward locally funded agricultural research would mean researchers can develop better crop varieties, improved farming techniques, and smarter storage solutions that will help farmers grow more food locally, reducing the need for imports.
Translating Research into Commercial Value: The commercialisation framework developed with CSIR under the Sankore project provides a model on how research can move from concept to market. An operational GNRF can scale this approach across universities and research institutions, enabling lecturers and researchers to collaborate with industry, attract investment, and develop market-ready innovations.
Attracting International Partnership and Investment: Countries with credible and well-structured research funding systems attract international collaborations, competitive grants, and foreign research investment.
Retaining Talent and Building Human Capital: A funded, structured, and transparent GNRF changes the incentive structure, making it viable for researchers to build careers in Ghana and contribute directly to national development. Dr. Botey further explained that by aligning research investments with national priorities, the Fund can generate solutions that directly address local challenges and inform long-term policy decisions.
Bottlenecks to Navigate
According to the Prof. Abigail Opoku Mensah, other anticipated bottlenecks must be addressed to ensure the Fund’s effectiveness. Key among these is to ensure that the grants management system is transparent, robust, and credible enough to attract the confidence of researchers as well as private sector participation. Equally critical is the mobilisation of private sector co-financing of research and development in Ghana.
There is also the need to avoid fragmentation by strengthening coordination with other national institutions managing research-related funding. This will enable Ghana to better measure aggregate investment impact and build a stronger case for sustained public and private sector support.
“If we learn from best practices in countries where national research funds exist, we will excel. We would be able to build a GNRF that is credible, transparent, and anchored on a robust grants management system,” Prof. Abigail Opoku Mensah noted.
The Road Ahead
The long-term success of the GNRF will depend on sustained commitment from government, industry, and the research community. With the GNRF now operationalised and a formal launch expected in June by the President of Ghana, H.E John Dramani Mahama, stakeholders affirmed that Ghana now has the foundation for a structured, nationally owned research financing system, built through years of advocacy and sustained policy effort.
The focus must now shift to sustained execution and accountability. The operationalisation of the Fund is a beginning, not an end. What lies ahead is not just implementation, but discipline and commitment. If effectively managed, the GNRF can become more than a financing mechanism; it can catalyze innovation-led growth, industrial transformation, and national competitiveness. The opportunity is clear: to move beyond potential and ensure that research and development in Ghana no longer ends on the shelf but delivers measurable value to the economy and society.
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