Ghana's publicly-funded research institution advancing scientific solutions for agriculture, water management, flood resilience, and industrial applications including cannabis and biodegradable plastics.
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have called for coordinated, sustainable and science-based measures to restore Ghana’s polluted water bodies and safeguard water security. …
Ghana’s tomato imports alone exceed US$230 million annually, while a disease-driven collapse of ginger has left the country 99 per cent import-dependent, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers have said, urging a research-led recovery. …
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have urged farmers to adopt climate-smart farming practices to minimise crop losses from flooding. …
… The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its Research Staff Association (RSA), has proposed an actionable flood mitigation strategy that combines immediate interventions with medium- and long-term investments to reduce flood disasters across the country …
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has accused successive governments of neglecting the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and other key research institutio …
… The Vice-President further called for closer collaboration among universities, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), research institutions and the private sector. …
… She further encouraged greater collaboration across disciplines and institutions, bringing together universities, the CSIR, research institutes, and the private sector to ensure that research translates into innovation, enterprise development, and employment opportunities. …
… He added that the Commission is working with institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to strengthen climate-risk modelling, adaptation planning and national reporting systems. …
Scientists in Ghana are using three-dimensional subsurface imaging technology to monitor water movement and soil conditions in real time, expected to improve climate-resilient farming. The Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) is deploying the technology under a climate-smart agriculture project running from April 2026 to March 2028, funded by UK Research and Innovation.
Scientists in Ghana are using three-dimensional subsurface imaging technology to monitor water movement and soil conditions in real time, expected to improve climate-resilient farming. The Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) is deploying the technology under a climate-smart agriculture project running from April 2026 to March 2028, funded by UK Research and Innovation.
The 24-Hour Economy Secretariat and Accelerated Export Development Authority have mobilised financing commitments exceeding GH¢1 billion to support Ghana's poultry value chain, with the first phase targeting GH¢300 million. The funding, to be provided by private sector actors including ABSA, Fidelity and Ecobank, will support investments in feed production, day-old chick supply, equipment, processing, storage and veterinary services to boost local production and reduce dependence on imported chicken.
The Narcotics Control Commission has partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to advance research, innovation and sustainable cultivation of cannabis with not more than 0.3 per cent THC content, aiming to support development of industrial and medicinal applications of hemp while maintaining strict regulatory oversight.
Ghana has sufficient technical expertise and transportation master plans for Bus Rapid Transit systems in major cities, but successive governments have failed to implement recommendations due to lack of political will and commitment to fund the necessary infrastructure, according to CSIR's deputy director.
During ministerial vetting, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh questioned Minister-designate Dr. Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings on environmental challenges including mercury pollution from small-scale mining, plastic waste management, landfill pollution, carbon trading, and climate finance, demanding practical solutions rather than theoretical explanations.
Ghana's deputy director of scientific research says the country must shift from expanding roads to developing efficient public transport, noting that trotros carry 60 per cent of passengers using only 20 per cent of road space, while private cars carry 20 per cent of passengers but use 60 per cent of available road.
Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings proposed increased CSIR funding to develop biodegradable materials from locally available crops such as cassava and hemp as alternatives to conventional plastics, and called for stronger landfill standards and a coordinated national response to plastic pollution.
Parliament approved Mahama Ayariga as Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology on Thursday, August 27, 2026, following their vetting by the Appointments Committee.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, has called for government funding to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to develop locally produced alternatives to plastic, citing cassava and hemp as plant-based materials that could be explored.
Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research says nutrient-rich wastewater from fish farms can be used to grow crops through an Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture System, addressing food security while reducing environmental pollution and waste.
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research have called for coordinated, sustainable and science-based measures to restore Ghana's polluted water bodies and safeguard water security, warning that illegal mining and other human activities are threatening public health, food production and livelihoods, with about 60 per cent of the country's water bodies reported to be polluted.
CSIR researchers report Ghana's tomato imports exceed US$230 million annually while the country is 99 per cent import-dependent for ginger due to disease, citing weak seed systems and insufficient investment in horticultural research as key challenges.
Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research have urged farmers to adopt climate-smart farming practices, including improved land preparation, drainage, crop selection, and use of weather information, to minimise crop losses from flooding. The advice follows June floods that affected farming communities in the Volta Region and other parts of Ghana.
Ghana's cycle of emergency flood response must shift to science-based planning and early warning systems. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has proposed a strategy combining immediate interventions—drain desiltation and sanitation enforcement—with medium and long-term investments to reduce disaster impact.
Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has accused successive governments of abandoning the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and other key research institutions due to inadequate state funding. He argued that consistent investment in research and innovation is essential for national economic transformation.
National Security operatives arrested two people, including the owner of an illegal mining site located less than 5 metres from the Adansi Asokwa Agenda 111 Hospital project in the Ashanti Region. The Ashanti Regional Security Council has reclaimed the site and restored over 80 percent of the degraded land, which spans approximately 30 standard football fields.
Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged the National Research Fund to focus on delivering practical solutions to Ghana's development challenges rather than measuring success by the number of projects supported. The NRF is transitioning into a fully operational national institution following its official launch by President Mahama in June.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang received a briefing from the Ghana National Research Fund's Governing Board and Management on the institution's progress, including its transformation into a fully operational national institution following President Mahama's launch on 16 June 2026, the establishment of a functional Secretariat, and ongoing efforts to develop a national research and innovation strategy addressing Ghana's development challenges.
'The Last Dig', a 120-page book by Amoyaw-Osei examining galamsey through the lens of Strategic Environmental Assessment, has been launched to sensitise policymakers and the public to SEA's role in environmental sustainability and to deepen understanding of galamsey's drivers and potential solutions.
Ghana's National Development Planning Commission has held discussions with the Agence Française de Développement on strengthening cooperation in climate governance, public financial management and sustainable development. The NDPC director-general emphasised the Commission's focus on data and development indicators to track national progress and the need for a long-term development agenda that transcends political cycles.
Agritech company Complete Farmer uses technology to help Ghanaian farmers produce quality crops, access global markets, and make informed decisions through remote farm monitoring and data-driven planning without high soil testing costs. The platform aims to connect local growers with global buyers and give farmers confidence in a ready market before starting each farming season.
OmniBSIC Bank has partnered with CSIR-IIR and Ocean Tribe Foundation to launch a school-based plastic recovery initiative in five Greater Accra Senior High Schools, where plastic waste will be collected and processed into industrial raw materials such as floor tiles and roofing tiles. The five schools generate an estimated 44,000 pieces of plastic waste daily, and the programme will begin this month with recovery cages and training for students and teachers on waste segregation and management.
The National Democratic Congress will honour founder Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings on what would have been his 79th birthday on June 22, 2026, with the official naming of the party's national headquarters after him and the unveiling of his bust. Events themed "From Revolution to Fourth Republic: The Rawlings Legacy" will feature addresses by President John Dramani Mahama and speakers including Tsatsu Tsikata at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The Director of CSIR's Savannah Agricultural Research Institute says the institute has produced hundreds of tonnes of improved seedlings, particularly maize and rice varieties, but faces low patronage as farmers opt for imported alternatives instead.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's Soil Research Institute says Ghana's agricultural transformation is constrained not by lack of scientific knowledge but by weak application of existing soil data in farming and policy systems. The institute's Ghana Soil Information System is designed to provide detailed insights into soil conditions across the country to enable more efficient and productive farming, with the director noting that farmers often apply fertiliser indiscriminately because they lack proper guidance on soil-specific needs.
The Director of CSIR's Soil Research Institute has warned that Ghana's soils are in moderately poor condition, rating the country's soil health at seven or eight on a scale of one to ten, and called for urgent national action to restore soil fertility and ensure food security.
The director of CSIR's Soil Research Institute rated Ghana's soil health at seven or eight out of ten, describing it as moderately poor and warning that declining soil fertility constrains agricultural productivity and threatens food security. He called for urgent national action and investment to restore soil health as central to Ghana's agricultural policy.
Ghana is gradually losing indigenous crops and plant varieties due to climate change, urbanisation and changing consumer preferences, threatening food security and agricultural resilience. The Director of the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute warns the situation is an emergency, stressing the urgent need to preserve local crop varieties through gene banks before they disappear entirely from farms.
Ghana's Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, which stores more than 6,000 unique plant genetic resources, faces a severe funding shortfall threatening its ability to preserve agricultural heritage and biodiversity. The institute's director states that government support covers only salaries, leaving insufficient funding for daily operations and infrastructure despite the facility's critical role in food sovereignty and climate resilience.
Experts warn that widespread crop-waste and slash-and-burn farming practices across Ghana are fueling public health and environmental crises. A study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research found that burning one kilogramme of crop residue produces smoke levels over 100 times higher than WHO safety thresholds, causing illness, deaths, and climate damage.