GH¢50m National Research Fund will boost knowledge, innovation – Mahama  

President John Dramani Mahama has announced a GH¢50 million Ghana National Research Fund. The initiative is aimed at promoting research and innovation while expanding access to tertiary education.

The new research fund, according to the President, will support science, technology, the humanities, and the arts, with the goal of boosting Ghana’s intellectual independence.

During his maiden Media Encounter in Accra on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, President Mahama said the GH¢50 million National Research Fund would mark a turning point in Ghana’s quest to build a knowledge-based economy.

“With this fund, we’ll slowly but certainly reverse that narrative by empowering our own researchers and ensuring that Ghana owns the knowledge and innovations produced by its intellectuals,” he declared.

He explained that for decades, much of the research by Ghanaian academics had been financed by foreign institutions, often leaving ownership of intellectual property abroad.

“The unfortunate outcome is that the intellectual property and findings are often owned abroad,” Mahama said.

The President noted that the government will complement the research fund with five full PhD scholarships annually at every university in Ghana.

“By investing in our thinkers, we are investing in our future and asserting our intellectual sovereignty,” he added.

Mahama stressed that the education sector remains central to Ghana’s research agenda and tied the initiative to wider government investments in technology.

“We’ve also laid the groundwork for a digital Ghana through strategic investment in science and technology and innovation through the 1 million coders program,” he said.
“These strides are not isolated. They are part of a clear, deliberate national reset that is restoring hope, creating opportunity and ushering in an era of shared prosperity for all.”

On access to higher education, the President cited the no-fee stress policy, launched three months ago, which refunded fees to 120,000 first-year students in public tertiary institutions.

It signalled a decisive break from the painful era when dreams of brilliant but vulnerable young Ghanaians were cut short simply because they could not afford to pay fees,” he explained.

Mahama further linked the policy to the Student Loan Plus initiative designed to provide affordable financing to students from low-income households.

“The no-fee stress policy is intrinsically linked to our broader student loan plus policy, which will ensure that no student is left behind in subsequent years of study,” Mahama said.

“Under this policy, students from low-income households will have access to flexible and dignified financing options to complete their tertiary education without the burden of unbearable debt or financial uncertainty.”

He also announced the commencement of the Free Tertiary Education Policy for Persons with Disability, describing it as a milestone in Ghana’s journey towards inclusive education.

“The implementation of the free tertiary education policy for persons with disability has commenced, removing a key barrier to higher learning and affirming our belief that education must be a right and not a privilege,” he said.

President Mahama concluded that the National Research Fund and expanded tertiary access are central to his government’s reset agenda.