The Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF) is to prioritise research into food security, environmental protection, health care and technological innovation to address the country’s development challenges and reduce its dependence on external research funding.
The fund is expected to support researchers working on home-grown solutions, including climate-smart crop varieties, sustainable natural resource management, emerging diseases and innovations in science, technology and engineering.
The Deputy Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Professor Marian Dorcas Quain, and the Deputy Administrator of the Ghana Research Fund, Professor Shamsudin Ziblim, announced this at a Scientific Conference and Innovation Fair 2026, in Accra.
Significance
Speaking on the topic, “Research Funding and Implementation in Ghana,” Prof. Quain said the country needed a coordinated research system that focused on specific challenges and practical solutions.
“The country cannot be developed if we don’t have enough food to eat,” she said, underscoring the importance of investing in agricultural research to improve food production and strengthen food security.
Prof. Quain explained that agricultural research was essential for the development of improved and climate-smart seeds that could withstand changing weather conditions and increase crop yields.
On environmental protection, Prof. Quain said the fund would support research into the sustainable management of natural resources, particularly in view of the environmental damage caused by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Health-related research would also receive support to help scientists respond to emerging diseases and improve the well-being of citizens.
Prof. Quain said investment in STEM, ICT and engineering was necessary to stimulate innovation, while research in the humanities and social sciences could provide evidence-based solutions to corruption, economic development and other societal challenges.
Rainfall pattern
Prof. Quain said the savannah zone generally experienced one main rainy season, unlike the coastal and middle belts, which typically experienced two rainy seasons.
She said the situation required the development of crop varieties suited to the shorter growing season in the north.
She added that improved, early-maturing seeds would enable farmers in the savannah belt to harvest within shorter periods, improve food availability and reduce poverty.
Home-grown solutions
Prof. Ziblim also stressed the need for the nation to take greater responsibility in financing research that addressed its developmental needs.
He observed that research funding in the country had previously been fragmented, with individual researchers depending heavily on external institutions to finance their work.
Prof. Ziblim, however, said the new approach would identify pressing national challenges and direct funding towards researchers whose proposals offered practical solutions.
The objective, he explained, was to make research more responsive to local needs and ensure that funding decisions reflected the country’s development priorities.
The fund is expected to provide a structured approach to research financing through thematic areas that guide scientists in developing proposals relevant to the country.
Researchers were also encouraged to compete for grants from international organisations and philanthropic institutions to complement domestic funding.
The broader objective is to develop competitive research teams, strengthen partnerships and ensure that scientific investment contributes directly to Ghana’s economic and social development.
