CSIR Intensifies Commercialisation of research outputs to boost agriculture and food security
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has stepped up efforts to commercialise its research outputs in line with its mandate under the CSIR Act, 1996 (Act 521).
The Council has established a dedicated commercialisation directorate to drive market uptake of innovations, technologies, and products developed across its 13 institutes.
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Acting Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, made the disclosure when answering an urgent question on the floor of Parliament on Friday.
The Minister said the directorate was tasked with implementing effective marketing strategies, strengthening partnerships with private sector actors, and building institutional capacity in business development and industry engagement.
“This structure is expected to accelerate the transition of CSIR’s innovations from laboratory development to market deployment.
“CSIR is actively pursuing collaborations with commercial players, SMEs, and agro-processors to upscale production, expand distribution channels, and integrate key value chain actors including farmers and marketers,” he added.
Mr Armah-Kofi Buah indicated that the Council had also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with private farms and industry partners to embed research outputs into commercial operations.
In addition, CSIR is rolling out training programs for small-scale processors in areas such as post-harvest handling, food safety standards, product development, and packaging.
These initiatives aim to support sustainable enterprise growth and job creation.
Highlighting specific products, the Minister noted that items such as “Prekese syrup” and “Prue gari” have already been promoted and commercialised.
The CSIR also organised food fairs, exhibitions, and open days to showcase its technologies to investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, thereby enhancing visibility and stimulating investment.
The Council’s intensified commercialization drive is expected to strengthen agro-processing value chains, improve national food and nutrition security, and create new business linkages across Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Source: GNA