By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday activated the Ghana National Research Fund, releasing GH¢100 million as take-off capital for 2026 and ending years of waiting since the law was passed in 2020.
The fund is backed by Act 1056 and designed to move research from lecture halls into factories, farms and hospitals. Mahama said Ghana can no longer afford research that stays on shelves. The GH¢100m will fund competitive grants, doctoral scholarships, postdoc programmes, and a digital portal to manage applications.
He pointed the fund toward urgent national problems: cocoa swollen shoot disease, fall armyworm infestations, food losses after harvest, and gaps in local manufacturing that innovation could fix.
“We are making a national declaration that knowledge and science are instruments of transformation,” the President said at the Accra ceremony. He added that the fund must produce results people can see in jobs and industries.
Government now aims for GH¢6 billion a year for research, in line with the African Union’s 1% of GDP recommendation. The Ministry of Education, GETFund, and a 13-member board will handle disbursements and monitor accountability.
The launch gives researchers what they’ve lacked: money to test ideas and build solutions for Ghana.
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