The Vice Chancellor of Accra Technical University (ATU), Engr. Prof. Amevi Acakpovi, has called on government to create a stronger national funding system to support scientific research and innovation in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview with the MD of Tobinco Media Group, Odelia Ntiamoah Boampong on Bullet TV, Prof. Acakpovi said universities are struggling to fund research because they rely mainly on government subvention, student fees, and foreign grants. According to him, research in Ghana is too expensive for institutions to finance alone.
He explained that some research projects require hundreds of thousands of cedis, yet universities do not have the financial muscle to support them fully. “Research is very costly. If we depend only on institutional capacity, we will not make progress,” he said.
Prof. Acakpovi added that most grants available to Ghanaian researchers come from Europe and America because Ghana has very few local funding sources. He said this dependency risks turning the country into a place that always waits for solutions from abroad.
He proposed the establishment of a National Competitive Research Fund managed by a credible committee to support Ghana-focused solutions. “We have many problems as a developing country, and we cannot keep importing solutions,” he said.
Despite the funding challenges, he noted that ATU graduates are highly valued in industry. He highlighted the university’s regular feedback mechanisms, including industrial attachments, curriculum reviews, and industry stakeholder conferences, which help keep their programmes relevant.
Prof. Acakpovi urged government to prioritize research funding, saying Ghana’s development depends on its ability to support local innovation.
By Ebenezer Madugu