Accra:Ghana has been urged to increase its domestic investment in research and innovation to reduce reliance on foreign grants and foster home-grown solutions to national challenges. Professor Abigail Opoku Mensah, Acting Administrator of the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), emphasized the importance of sustainable domestic investment to build a robust research and innovation ecosystem that can drive the country's socio-economic transformation.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prof Mensah noted that while partnerships with foreign development agencies have supported valuable research initiatives, over-dependence on external funding exposes the sector to uncertainties due to changes in donor priorities and foreign policies. She stated that initial investments necessary to accelerate a country's innovation must originate from domestic sources.
Prof Mensah delivered these remarks during her keynote address on the theme "Ghana's Research and Innovation Journey The Journey So Far," at the opening ceremony of the UK Media Excellence for Emerging Technologies (UK MEET) Fellowship's Ghana residential programme in Accra. Organised by Imperial Global Ghana with support from the United Kingdom Government through Imperial College London, the fellowship aims to enhance science communication and public understanding of research and innovation.
Ghana, like many African countries, currently falls short of the African Union's benchmark of allocating at least one per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research and development. Prof Mensah highlighted that the establishment of the GNRF followed years of advocacy for a dedicated national research funding mechanism. The Ghana National Research Fund Act, 2020 (Act 1056), provided the legal framework, with the fund's governing board inaugurated in June 2025. The Government subsequently provided an initial seed capital of GHS50 million, and in June 2026, President John Dramani Mahama announced a catalytic allocation of GHS100 million.
Prof Mensah explained that the fund has adopted a Research and Innovation Strategy for 2026-2030, focusing on areas such as research talent development, competitive funding, industry partnerships, policy support, sustainable financing, and strong governance. The strategy has identified five initial national research missions, including food systems, health innovation and biosecurity, climate and environmental sustainability, digital and industrial transformation, and governance, policy and social systems.
Ms Amma Boakye-Danquah, Associate Director of Imperial Global Ghana, stressed the importance of effective science communication to ensure research findings reach their intended audience. She highlighted the shared responsibility of researchers and journalists to ask critical questions and stimulate public discourse on national issues. Meanwhile, Mr Ryan Davies of the British High Commission in Ghana noted that the UK MEET Fellowship, now in its fourth year, has seen about 70 journalists complete the programme, producing impactful reports on various science-related issues.