Mahama launches GH¢100m research fund to drive jobs, food security and innovation

President John Mahama has launched Ghana's National Research Fund with an initial allocation of GH¢100 million, urging scientists and researchers to develop practical solutions to challenges affecting agriculture, industry and economic growth.

The fund, established under a 2020 law but only now becoming operational, is intended to finance research projects, doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, and innovation initiatives aligned with the government's development agenda.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Mahama said research must move beyond academic publications and deliver tangible benefits for citizens.

"We need research that solves problems, creates jobs, builds industries and improves lives," he said.

The president identified food security as a key priority, calling on researchers to help address cocoa swollen shoot disease, fall armyworm infestations, cotton crop pests and post-harvest losses that continue to affect farmers and agricultural output.

He said scientific innovation would be central to his administration's plans for agricultural modernisation, industrialisation and the proposed 24-hour economy programme.

Mr Mahama also highlighted what he described as Ghana's chronic underinvestment in research and development. While the African Union recommends that countries spend at least 1% of GDP on research, Ghana's

current legal provisions amount to roughly half that level, he said.

Using Ghana's estimated GDP of GH¢1.14 trillion, he noted that even the lower threshold would require annual research spending of about GH¢6 billion far above current funding levels.

Acknowledging that government resources alone would be insufficient, the president directed the Ministries of Finance, Education and Environment to begin the gradual release of statutory funding to support research institutions.

He also instructed the Finance and Education ministries to pursue Ghana's participation in the World Bank's ACE Innovate programme, which supports higher education and innovation across Africa.

As part of his appeal for greater commercialisation of research, Mr Mahama cited a non-toxic organic pesticide developed by researchers at the University of Cape Coast, saying the innovation had yet to reach farmers despite Ghana spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually on imported pesticides.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the launch as a major step towards creating a sustainable funding system for scientific research, arguing that no country had achieved long-term economic transformation without investment in science, technology and innovation.

The Ghana National Research Fund will focus on priority areas including food systems, health innovation, digital transformation, climate resilience and governance data.

The launch marks the formal operationalisation of the fund, six years after Parliament passed legislation establishing it.