University of Ghana Vice-Chancellor urges swift activation of National Research Fund

University of Ghana Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo has called for the urgent operationalization of Ghana’s National Research Fund. Despite the fund being established under the Ghana National Research Fund Act, 2020, it has yet to provide the intended financial support to researchers more than six years after the legislation was passed.

Speaking at a roundtable organized by the Ghana Students Association at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Prof. Appiah Amfo emphasized that policy commitments must translate into practical opportunities. While the fund's governing board was inaugurated in June 2025 and the fund was officially launched in June 2026, the Vice-Chancellor noted that outstanding processes must be completed so researchers can access funding for scientific research, technological advancement, and innovation.

Prof. Appiah Amfo also discussed the University of Ghana’s Graduate Research Fund and its existing partnerships with the Mastercard Foundation, Wellcome, and the European Union. She identified undergraduate involvement in research as an area needing more attention and urged Ghanaian scholars living abroad to maintain strong links with domestic institutions to support national development.