President Mahama launches Research Fund with a seed capital of GHS 100m.

President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday launched the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), providing a seed capital of GHS 100 million for the 2026 academic calendar.

The President has subsequently charged the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the GETFund and the Finance Governing Board, to ensure the transparent, accountable, and resource-oriented deployment of these funds.

Speaking at a ceremony attended by scientists, researchers, institutional heads, and academic stakeholders, President Mahama noted that the launch marks a defining moment in Ghana's journey toward becoming a knowledge-driven, innovation-led, and globally competitive economy.

He expressed optimism that, with the necessary financial resources, researchers can develop practical solutions to the nation's challenges.

"This establishes a national framework for financing knowledge creation, strengthening scientific capability, and aligning research more closely with our national development priorities," the President stated.

He added, "Today, Ghana affirms that research can no longer be treated as a peripheral activity. It must become one of the engines that drive our economic growth, our social progress, and our national competitiveness. We need research that solves problems, creates jobs, builds industries, and improves lives."

Citing the visionary leadership of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, President Mahama noted that the history of Ghana's accelerated development and industrialisation efforts post-independence was underpinned by a structured system to build human capital capable of generating homegrown technologies.

"His vision was simple yet profound. Ghana must not only consume knowledge, but Ghana must also produce knowledge that is locally relevant," he noted, explaining that the same ideology informed the late President John Evans Atta Mills' education policies.

"Indeed, the vision for the Ghana National Research Fund was a central dream of the late Professor. On this day, we acknowledge and remember him, as his vision has finally come to fruition," he added.

Acknowledging the contribution of the previous administration, the President noted that Act 1056 of 2020, which paved the way for the Fund, was passed by Parliament during President Nana Akufo-Addo's tenure.

"The establishment of this Fund must not merely increase grant applications; it must increase ambition," President Mahama declared. "Let us pursue breakthrough solutions in food security. Let us develop climate-smart technologies for African agriculture. Let us lead research into tropical diseases and harness artificial intelligence to improve governance and public service delivery. Let us create innovations that can be commercialised, exported, and scaled up globally."

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, described the launch as a major step toward establishing a sustainable financing system for research. He also used the platform to announce that the long-standing dispute over book and research allowances for university lecturers has been resolved. He expressed hope that this development would end periodic labour unrest within the tertiary education sector.

The Acting Administrator of the GNRF, Professor Abigail Opoku Mensah, disclosed that a pilot research call has been launched in partnership with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The initiative will support technologies that facilitate programmes targeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She added that a comprehensive Research and Innovation Strategy document covering 2026 to 2030 has also been developed.