Mahama Moves Ghana Science Off Hold: GH¢100m Drops, Prof. Abigail Gura Takes UNESCO Seat

Accra, June 2026 — President John Mahama is resetting how Ghana funds and represents science. Within months, he unlocked the Ghana National Research Fund with GH¢100 million in seed cash and placed TTU’s Prof. Abigail Padi Gura on UNESCO’s Executive Committee.

The twin decisions signal a shift from talk to tools — money for labs, and a Ghanaian voice in global policy rooms.

Fund finally speaks after 6 years
Launched June 16 under the theme Resetting Ghana: Financing Research for National Transformation, the National Research Fund was created by Parliament in 2020 but stayed idle. Mahama swore in its 13-member board last year, then released GH¢100m to power its first year of grants, PhDs, and innovation projects.

With GDP at $114 billion, he set a new benchmark: Ghana should spend roughly GH¢6 billion yearly on research, about 0.5% of GDP.

“Economic freedom requires scientific freedom,” Mahama told researchers in Accra. He said the “catalytic allocation” must target cocoa swollen shoot disease, fall armyworm, cotton boll weevil, and post-harvest losses — problems hitting farmers and food security directly.

Finance, Education and Environment ministries are to release statutory funds gradually. The Ministry of Education, GETFund and the Fund’s board must keep spending transparent, he directed.

TTU dean gets global mandate
On May 12, Mahama swore in Prof. Abigail Padi Gura, Dean of Business Studies at Takoradi Technical University, to the Executive Committee of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO at the Ministry of Education Conference Room.

An Associate Professor with 20+ years on entrepreneurship, corporate governance, SMEs and women’s leadership, Prof. Gura now represents Ghana in UNESCO’s education, science, culture and communication work across 194 countries.

For TTU, the appointment sharpens its profile as a university of “strong societal relevance”. For Ghana, it puts homegrown SME expertise at the table where global education and research policy is shaped.

Cash at home, influence abroad
The pattern is clear: Mahama is funding local solutions while positioning Ghanaian academics internationally. Researchers get grants to build industries here. Professors like Gura carry Ghana’s priorities to UNESCO.

The test ahead is execution —

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