The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has made a strong argument for the need for African governments to invest heavily in research and innovation to drive expected growth and development. Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo argues that Africa’s growth and develop are likely to stagger if governments on the continent fail to allocate the right finances and support for research. Buttressing her stance, she mentioned that countries like South Korea, Singapore, Germany, The United States, Brazil and China are examples of advanced countries or economies that have leveraged on research to develop their economies and sustain innovation.
“Research, as we know, play a crucial role in development across various sectors of the economy, providing evidence based insights that inform policies, drive innovation, social change, capacity building and generally improves the quality of life”, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, posited during her address at the opening ceremony of the World Bank Africa’s Higher Education Centers of Excellence 10 years anniversary commemoration, under the theme: Celebrating a decade of transformative journey in revolutionizing Africa’s contribution to global research and innovation.
She also underscored the relevance of research to fueling economic growth through innovation and job creation. .
That notwithstanding, there is palpable evidence of low funding for research across the continent of Africa. Available data indicates that Africa contributes around 2% – 3% of global research output with increasing efforts in health and agricultural research. “According to the 2021 UNESCO Science Report, Africa contributes 2.4% of global researchers; 2.4% of global scientific output while 0.45% of GDP is spent on research and development”, Prof. Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo shared expressing concern about the numbers particularly the amount of funds dedicated for research on the continent.
She averred that Africa can only contribute significantly to the Global Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well the Africa Union Agenda 2063 through adequate investment in research and innovation. Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, contends that leaders on the continent need to ask the critical questions about the quantum of effort targeted at research; whether leaders put their monies where their mouth lies: and whether states are using science to build Africa’s anticipated future.
Ways Forward
Critical among the suggestions to tackle the research and innovation gap in Africa, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, zoned in on the need for collaboration among institutions and states across the continent. “In order to scale and sustain research in addressing regional and global issues, there is the need for partnerships and collaboration involving global institutions and the private sector.” According to her, a single institution, ministry or country may not possess all the requisite capacities to produce top-tier research outputs. She thus advices the countries on the continent adopt a collaborative approach to producing globally acclaimed research works that answer the needs of the African people. Prof. Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo believes there should be a deliberate plan to attract and retain top-tier global researchers through the creation of conducive environment that supports bright talents being developed on the continent of Africa.
Pivotal, however, are the issues of political will and funding. In the view of Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Africans must begin to put money where their mouth is. She contends recent happening of withdrawn financial support by the West is signaling the imperative for self-sufficiency and igniting the impetus needed to make bold decisions and commit to funding research and innovation on the continent.
” It is clear that we have the human resource that we need to be able to facilitate their work by putting in the required financial and other resources. We must as a matter of urgency plan and make sufficient budgetary allocations, 0.45 per cent for research is certainly inadequate.”
Some Success Chalked by ACE in the Past Decade.
In Ghana and Nigeria genomic research has played a key role in sequencing COVID-19 and Ebola genomes, contributing to global efforts to combat these pandemics.
In Ghana and Kenya, agricultural biotechnology breakthroughs have led to the development of improved seeds enhancing food security and the resilience of agricultural systems to environmental challenges.
In Senegal cutting edge medical training programmes now enable complex surgeries reducing reliance on overseas treatment and improving access to specialized care.
In Nigeria, Senegal and Rwanda, the integration of artificial intelligence is preparing a new generation of professionals for the jobs of the future.
In Tanzania they’ve development a digital surveillance tool that allows health workers and others to serve as detectives.
In Kenya, the incubation centre at Moi University has successfully commercialize economic ways to generate energy and produce building materials from waste product.
About Africa Higher Centres of Excellence 10 Years Anniversary.
The Government of Ghana served as host for the High-Level Forum on Africa’s Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) program from April 7-9, 2025, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana under the theme: “ACE@10-Celebrating A Decade of Impact, Innovation and Excellence. This high-level event is being held ten years after the establishment of the ACE program, launched in 2014 to address critical challenges of the African Higher Education sector.
The event is co-organized by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), with the support of the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). The Forum will take stock of the transformational journey of the ACEs over the last 10 years (ACE@10), and showcase key successes, research breakthroughs, innovations, and impact.
The ACE program addresses critical challenges in African higher education, by enhancing collaboration and training in science, ICT and digital, engineering and mathematics, agriculture, health, transports, and other key areas, with the goal to produce a highly skilled workforce to support Africa’s economic growth.
By: Sefah-Danquah
