UDS Established Fund to Support Academic Research

A special-purpose financing project has been developed by the University for Development Studies (UDS) to gather funds for academic research on national challenges, particularly those that impact people in the country’s north.

UDS Established Fund with a GH¢500,000 (US$100,000) initial fund, the Sustainable Research Fund for Northern Ghana (SRF4NG) will be overseen by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIR).

This fund would give qualified individuals, including faculty, staff, and students, financial resources in the form of grants so they could carry out any kind of applied sciences research or capacity building that might be pertinent to the university’s mission as well as the socioeconomic development of northern Ghana and beyond.

Professor Seidu Al-Hassan, vice chancellor of UDS, pointed out that the fund’s establishment aims to finance strategic research projects that will help the university’s particular catchment areas as well as Ghana and other regions.

According to him, research initiatives that enhance food security, environmental preservation, sustainable development, and economic empowerment in northern Ghana are anticipated to receive funding from the fund.

Through offering a specialised funding source for research projects, UDS Established Fund and hopes to promote an innovative and knowledge-generating culture that can solve urgent local problems, generate employment opportunities, and support the region’s long-term growth.

The government’s regional minister, Shani Alhassan Saibu, contributed GH₵100,000 to kickstart the effort, while Speaker of Parliament Alban Suman Kingsford Bagbin, a resident of the north, committed GH₵50,000 to the fund.

Speaker of the House of Commons Alban Suman Kingsford Bagbin applauded UDS management for the effort, stating that it will help to guarantee high-caliber research.

In order to assist the fund and help it reach its objectives, he urged former students and northern indigenous people, particularly the parliamentarian caucus.

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According to the regional minister, the programme is in line with the nation’s efforts to address domestic development issues, such as environmental sustainability and economic growth, as well as its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A significant region for agricultural activity is northern Ghana, where smallholder farmers grow both cash crops and food. Initiatives to promote sustainable practices, like climate-smart agriculture and forest preservation, have been focused on the region.

Dr. Adam Bonaa, a security analyst, urged faculty, staff, and students to make use of the money.

Prof. Stephen Kendie, Research Professor at the University of Cape Coast’s Department of Integrated Development Studies, emphasised that all institutions must set up a fund to assist internal research.