About Us
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is the foremost national science and technology institution in Ghana
The mission of the CSIR is to become the force for accelerated social and economic development of Ghana through examining, exploring and creating Science and Technology catalysts for public and private wealth creation.
The CSIR is mandated to pursue, among others, the implementation of government policies on scientific research and development, coordinate R&D activities in the CSIR and other S&T institutions nationwide and assist the government in the formulation of S&T policies for national development. The CSIR is further required to commercialize appropriate technologies, in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders, and encourage in the national interest, scientific and industrial research of importance for the development of agriculture, health, medicine, environment, technology and other service sectors of the economy.
The Council’s vision is using the transforming power of Science and Technology for wealth creation.
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Research Institutes
Background
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is the foremost national science and technology institution in Ghana. It is mandated to carry out scientific and technological research for national development. The Council was established in its present form by NLC Decree 293 of 10th October, 1968 and re-established by CSIR Act 521 of 26th November, 1996. The Council, however, traces its ancestry to the erstwhile National Research Council (NRC), which was established by the Research Act 21 of August, 1958, a little over a year after independence, to organize and co-ordinate scientific research in Ghana and provide the necessary platform for Ghana’s accelerated development.
The Council came into being on 14th February 1959 with a Governing Council, which was chaired by the President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, with Mr. F.E.V. Smith as its Executive Secretary and Mr. S.T. Quansah as Deputy Executive Secretary.
Merger and reconstitution
In 1963, the National Research Council was merged with the Ghana Academy of Learning, which had been established in 1958 and renamed the Ghana Academy of Sciences, under the Ghana Academy of Sciences Instrument E.I.5 of 1963. The Academy, therefore, combined the dual roles of a statutory learned society and the organization of national research.
The assets and responsibilities of the two organizations were vested in the new Academy. The Academy had responsibility over eleven research institutes and four units and projects with Prof. J. Yanney-Ewusi as its General Secretary.
In 1968, following the recommendations of the Cockroft Committee, which was appointed by the Government of the National Liberation Council (NLC) in December 1966 “to advise on the future of the Ghana Academy of Sciences”, the Ghana Academy of Sciences was reconstituted and the Learned Society was separated from the research Division of the Academy.
The reconstitution of the Ghana Academy of Sciences into two separate bodies became law by NLCD 291 (1968), which established the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, and NLCD 293 (1968), which established the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on 10th October 1968 with Mr. Modzaben Dowuona as the first Executive Chairman of the CSIR. As a national body, therefore, the CSIR has had an unbroken history, which extends back to the creation of the National Research Council in 1958.
The Role of CSIR in National Development
The CSIR is the foremost science and technology organization in the country. The mandate of the CSIR in broad terms is to pursue the implementation of government policies on scientific research and development. CSIR research programmes cover a wide range of activities in the following areas: Industry, Agriculture, Agro-processing, Fisheries, Forestry, Water Resources, Human Settlement Infrastructure, Environment, Health, Natural and Social Sciences. In pursuit of its mandate, the CSIR engages in activities that lead to the achievement of the following objectives:
• To coordinate research and development in the CSIR and other science and technology institutions nationwide and cooperate in their research efforts
• To assist Government in the formulation of science and technology policies for the realization of its developmental objectives.
• To advise the Hon. Minister (Ministry of Environment and Science) on scientific and technological advances likely to be of importance to national development
• To encourage, in the national interest, scientific and industrial research of importance for the development of agriculture, health, medicine, environment, industry and other service sectors and to this end to encourage close linkages with the productive sectors of the economy
• To encourage co-ordinated employment of scientific research for the management, utilization and conservation of the natural resources of Ghana in the interest of development
• To develop, package and disseminate science and technology information
• To commercialize research and development output and technologies in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders.
Mandate
The CSIR is mandated to perform the following function among others:
• To pursue the implementation of government policies on scientific research and development;
• To advise the sector Minister on scientific and technological advance likely to be of importance to national development;
• To encourage coordinated employment of scientific research for management, utilization and conservation of the natural resources of Ghana in the interest of development;
• To encourage the national interest scientific and industrial research of importance for development of Agriculture, health, medicine, environment, technology and other service sectors and to this end to encourage close linkage with the productive sectors of economy;
• To coordinate all aspects of scientific research in the country and to ensure that the Council, the research institutes of the Council and other organization engaged in research in Ghana, coordinate and cooperate in their research effort;
• To exercise control over the research institutes and projects of the council and to have power after consultation with the Minister to create reconstitute, merge or dissolve any institute, Centre, unit or project of the council;
• To review, monitor and periodically evaluate the work of the institutes administered by the Council in order to ensure the research being carried out by the institute directly benefits identified sectors of the economy and is within the national priorities;
• To institute a system of contract research to ensure that research being carried out in the council is relevant and cost effective;
• To encourage and promote the commercialization of research results;
• To undertake or collaborate in the collation, publication and dissemination of the results to research and other useful technical information;
• To organize and control services and facilities available to the Council and generally to manage the properties of the Council;
• To coordinate human resource development in institute of the council and encourage the training of scientific personnel and research workers through the provision of grants and fellowships;
• To cooperate and liaise with international and local bodies and organizations, in particular, the Universities and the private sector on matters of research; and
• To perform such other functions as may be determined by the Minister.
• To advise the sector Minister on scientific and technological advance likely to be of importance to national development;
• To encourage coordinated employment of scientific research for management, utilization and conservation of the natural resources of Ghana in the interest of development;
• To encourage the national interest scientific and industrial research of importance for development of Agriculture, health, medicine, environment, technology and other service sectors and to this end to encourage close linkage with the productive sectors of economy;
• To coordinate all aspects of scientific research in the country and to ensure that the Council, the research institutes of the Council and other organization engaged in research in Ghana, coordinate and cooperate in their research effort;
• To exercise control over the research institutes and projects of the council and to have power after consultation with the Minister to create reconstitute, merge or dissolve any institute, Centre, unit or project of the council;
• To review, monitor and periodically evaluate the work of the institutes administered by the Council in order to ensure the research being carried out by the institute directly benefits identified sectors of the economy and is within the national priorities;
• To institute a system of contract research to ensure that research being carried out in the council is relevant and cost effective;
• To encourage and promote the commercialization of research results;
• To undertake or collaborate in the collation, publication and dissemination of the results to research and other useful technical information;
• To organize and control services and facilities available to the Council and generally to manage the properties of the Council;
• To coordinate human resource development in institute of the council and encourage the training of scientific personnel and research workers through the provision of grants and fellowships;
• To cooperate and liaise with international and local bodies and organizations, in particular, the Universities and the private sector on matters of research; and
• To perform such other functions as may be determined by the Minister.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
