By: Alberta Asanewa Dwirah and Elizabeth Agyeiwa Denkyi
The Director of Innovation at the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Emmanuel Ofori, has called for increased investment in research and development to help Ghana and Africa reduce dependence on foreign technology.
Speaking at the inaugural Research Symposium 2026 of the Young African Research Academy (YARA) in Accra, held under the theme: “Indigenous Research Renaissance- From Inquiry to Impact,” Mr Ofori stressed the need for African countries to develop technologies and solutions based on local data and realities.
Mr Ofori said that although Artificial Intelligence presents significant opportunities, many datasets used to train AI systems are foreign and may not adequately reflect African languages, cultures, and experiences.
He cited the difficulty some AI systems have in producing natural Twi as an example, saying Ghana needs to develop and contribute local datasets to improve the relevance of such technologies.
He also urged researchers to move beyond academic publications and focus on developing solutions that can be applied and commercialised.
“Research must make money. Your effort does not end at the book. It ends as a solution,” he said.
Mr Ofori encouraged researchers to engage directly with communities to understand the problems they seek to solve and incorporate users’ views into their research.
He said the Ministry is prepared to partner with researchers, particularly in areas such as AI, health and climate change.
The Founder and Executive Director of YARA, Isaac Aboah, said the Academy was established to nurture a new generation of African researchers and promote evidence-based decision-making.
He said early exposure to research and scientific methods is essential to equip young Africans with the skills to develop practical solutions to challenges facing the continent.
YARA has trained ten students from universities across Ghana to undertake original research under the guidance of experienced researchers.
Several fellows are graduating with first-class honours, while others have secured scholarships or are being considered for PhD opportunities based on their research.
The research fellows presented findings from their studies and made recommendations in areas including financial inclusion, maternal mental health and caregiving.
One fellow, Benjamin Ekow Attabra, presented research on the use of mobile money data and Artificial Intelligence to help unbanked individuals gain access to more sophisticated financial products.
Another research project by Linda Akosua Essilfie examined the relationship between maternal mental health, caregiving quality and child behavioural development.
Mr Aboah urged institutions and individuals to partner with YARA to create opportunities for more young Africans to pursue research and translate their findings into policy, technology and practical solutions.
The Academy is also preparing to publish a dataset on the traditional Ghanaian game “Ampe” for use in machine-learning research.
YARA says its broader goal is to build research infrastructure for emerging African researchers and generate evidence that can inform policy and contribute to development across the continent.
The symposium brought together young researchers working in key areas including artificial intelligence, climate change and public health.
