The Ghana Young Academy (GhYA) has thrown its weight behind the newly launched Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), describing it as a landmark investment in the country’s research and innovation ecosystem, while pressing for dedicated funding tracks for the nation’s early- and mid-career scientists.
In a position statement issued following the Fund’s launch on 16 June 2026, GhYA — the national network of outstanding early- and mid-career researchers — said the GNRF, established under the Ghana National Research Fund Act, 2020 (Act 1056), demonstrates government’s commitment to harnessing science, technology and innovation for national development.
The Academy commended President John Dramani Mahama for spearheading the launch, and acknowledged the Ministry of Education, the GNRF Governing Board and other stakeholders for operationalizing the Fund. It also singled out Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, Chairperson of the Governing Board, and Professor Abigail Opoku Mensah, the Fund’s Acting Administrator, for their roles in shaping the institution’s direction and credibility.
A Call for Dedicated Pathways
Despite its welcome of the milestone, GhYA was direct about what it expects next: that the Fund build competitive, ring-fenced funding pathways specifically for early- and mid-career researchers, whom it described as a critical segment of Ghana’s scientific workforce driving knowledge generation, innovation, scientist training, and solutions to national challenges in health, agriculture, energy, climate change, education and industry.
The Academy is calling on the GNRF to ensure its operations are accessible, transparent, merit-based, inclusive and responsive to emerging researchers, with specific funding windows established for early-career investigator grants and mid-career research leadership awards, alongside support for interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects.
It also wants the Fund to back research infrastructure and laboratory access, innovation, commercialization and technology transfer, scientific publication and dissemination, and science-policy and community-engagement initiatives.
GhYA also urged the Fund to promote equitable access across institutions, disciplines, regions and gender groups, so that talented researchers nationwide — not only those at established or well-resourced institutions — can contribute to the country’s development agenda.
“An Investment in the Nation’s Future”
The Academy said it stands ready to work with the GNRF, government agencies, academia, industry and development partners to strengthen Ghana’s research ecosystem and maximize the Fund’s impact.
“When Ghana invests in its researchers, Ghana invests in innovation, development, and a brighter future for all,” the statement concluded.
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