The Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has sworn in a thirteen-member the governing board for the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), marking a pivotal moment in Ghana’s push toward becoming a knowledge-driven economy.
Chaired by Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, the governing board, has Prof. Abigail Opoku Mensah (administrator of the fund), Prof. Paul Pinnock Bosu, Prof. Ahmed Abudulai Jinapor, Prof. Yarhands Dissou Arthur, Ago Kweshie Macgranaky Quaye as members.
The others are Prof. Kennedy A. Alatinga, Dr Adjoa Agyeman Boakye, Dr Rebecca Ohene-Asah, Dr Pascal Kpodo, Emerita Prof. Isabella Akyinbah Quakyi, Prof. Mamudu Abunga Akudugu and Dr Patience Danquah Monnie.
Speaking at the ceremony yesterday in Accra, Mr Iddrisu commended the board members for their enviable academic backgrounds and charged them to uphold transparency, competitiveness, and innovation in managing the Fund.
“This Fund must be Ghana’s tool for developing research that speaks to our future on Artificial Intelligence (AI), water preservation, national governance, and building stronger university faculties,” the Minister noted.
He added that the growth of every country was based on research and how to use the findings of the research to improve the country.
“As government have entrusted you with the National Research Fund, we expect you to work tirelessly and diligently to bring a solution to solve national problems,” the Minister added.
The Minister assured the board of his unwavering support and underscored the Ministry’s vision of a research ecosystem that drives development and policy.
“With you, we begin a new chapter one that puts research at the centre of Ghana’s future,” he said.
The GNRF established by Act 1056 and assented to in December 2020, is set to receive an initial allocation of GH¢ 50 million in 2025.
However, Mr Iddrisu announced a significant financial boost, pledging a minimum of GH¢ 100 million for 2026 through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
“Next year, we will ensure your allocation doubles. We’re working towards operationalising the 0.5 per cent of national revenue, and perhaps even reaching one per cent,” he added.
The Chairman of the GNRF board, Prof. Danquah expressed deep gratitude on behalf of the appointees and described the event as historic for Ghanaian academia.
“Today marks a significant milestone. In over three decades of my academic life, I have never witnessed a day quite like this,” he stated.
Prof. Danquah pledged the board’s full commitment to integrity, equity, and excellence in research management.
He stressed the need for sustainable research funding and called for an increase in the fund’s share of the national budget, aligning with global benchmarks and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“This Fund is about more than money. It is about national transformation, sovereignty, and leveraging local knowledge to confront our most pressing challenges,” Prof. Danquah emphasised.
BY RAYMOND APPIAH-AMPONSAH
