By Stanley Kwabla Arku
Government has taken a major step toward strengthening academic research and innovation with the full activation of the National Research Fund. The policy, originally initiated by the NDC administration in 2016 and passed into law in 2017, has now received renewed attention with the formal establishment of a governing board and secretariat, backed by a GHS 50 million seed investment from the GETFund.
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang made this announcement during her address at the 58th Special Congregation Ceremony of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. Addressing a gathering of dignitaries including the Chancellor, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the King of Eswatini, the Vice President described the Fund as a cornerstone of the government’s broader plan to reposition research at the heart of Ghana’s development agenda.
“This government is fully committed to building a sustained resource base to support research,” she stated. “We have moved beyond the legislation stage. A Board and Secretariat have been established, and an initial GHS 50 million has been allocated from GETFund to operationalise the National Research Fund.”
The Fund is expected to support academic and applied research across disciplines, enabling scholars and institutions to tackle national challenges in health, education, environment, agriculture, science and technology. It also aims to address a long-standing concern among academics about the lack of structured funding for research activities in Ghana.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the link between research and development, urging scholars and postgraduate students to actively engage with government and industry. “Your findings must not gather dust. They must guide policy and inspire innovation,” she said.
The policy is seen as part of a broader effort by the Mahama-led administration to strengthen the foundations of higher education. It complements other initiatives such as the No Fees Stress Policy, which allows first-year tertiary students to defer academic-related fees and access support through the Student Loan Trust Fund.
The Vice President also assured the academic community of the government’s respect for institutional autonomy and academic freedom, while underscoring that public universities will be held to high standards through regulatory oversight by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.