Ghana must increase investment in locally generated research and ensure that findings are translated into policies and development programmes capable of addressing the country’s specific challenges, Professor Saa Dittoh of the University for Development Studies (UDS) has said.
He said greater reliance on externally funded research could influence the direction of studies, particularly when donors determined the areas to be researched, potentially leaving some national and community priorities insufficiently addressed.
Prof. Dittoh, of the Department of Food Security and Climate Change at UDS, made the remarks at the opening of the Sixth Research and Development Conference of the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) in Wa.
The conference was held on the theme: “Research for Policy: Strengthening Evidence-Informed Policymaking for Ghana’s Development.”
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Dittoh said research should not end with academic publications but must generate practical solutions that could influence policy planning and implementation.
He said researchers needed to ensure that their work responded to national development priorities and the challenges confronting communities.
According to him, Ghana’s development efforts could benefit significantly from research if stronger links were established between researchers, policymakers and institutions responsible for implementing policies.
Prof. Dittoh said the absence of strong national and sectoral research agendas, dedicated funding and accountability mechanisms had contributed to the limited impact of some research findings.
He called for clearly defined research priorities supported by dedicated funding, timelines and expected deliverables to enable institutions and researchers to be held accountable for the outcomes of their work.
He also urged the government to take a greater interest in financing research to ensure that studies reflected national priorities and generated evidence for policymaking.
Prof. Dittoh further called on district and regional authorities to take an active interest in research conducted within their jurisdictions.
He said local authorities should be aware of research activities in their areas and have access to the findings so that relevant evidence could be incorporated into development planning and implementation.
“Researchers should not collect information from communities without ensuring that the communities and local authorities benefit from the knowledge generated,” he said.
He urged universities, researchers and policymakers to strengthen collaboration and ensure that research addressed practical development challenges and improved the social and economic conditions of citizens.
Prof. Dittoh also cautioned researchers against excessive reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) when undertaking studies, particularly on Ghana-specific development issues.
He explained that AI systems depended significantly on available data and published information, noting that the limited volume of locally generated research could affect their ability to provide useful insights into Ghanaian challenges.
He therefore called for increased investment in local research and publication of findings to expand the body of Ghana-specific knowledge available to researchers, policymakers and emerging technologies.
Prof. Dittoh said strengthening Ghana’s local research ecosystem would help ensure that evidence generated by universities and research institutions translated into practical interventions and more effective development policies.
