News
CSIR launches 5-year development plan
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched a 5-year strategic plan which will serve as a guideline for its operations.
According to Director-General of CSIR-Ghana, Professor Paul P. Bosu, the strategic plan which was launched last week Thursday at its head office in Accra was developed based on four key drivers.
The four key drivers Prof Bosu noted were financial resource mobilization, staff and system performance improvement, re-branding and visibility improvement, private sector Research and Development (R and D), and technological innovation.
Additionally, he said the aforementioned four key drivers which formed the basis for the development of the strategic plan had four different objectives which are to develop and transfer at least three industry-driven technologies per institute per year, and to generate at least 30% of annual recurrent expenditure by 2027 through the attraction of funding.
The other objectives of the strategic plan are to ensure positive visibility of CSIR through weekly branding in the print and electronic media, enjoy significant goodwill from identifier stakeholders, and get 80% of the workforce to be passionate, result-oriented, and positive and ethically minded enough to pursue the vision of CSIR.
Prof Bosu further asserted that aside from the objectives, the five-year strategic plan had various targets which the CSIR was determined to meet through hard work and dedication.
Some of the set targets he outlined were the operationalization of 130 private-public partnership arrangements, addressing 52 stakeholder interests annually, distribution of 140 different types of promotional materials to at least 375 stakeholders, and the publication of 280 feature articles.
Others include the development, validation, and adoption of 195 industry-relevant technologies by industries, the publication of 195 scientific papers, the training of 500 staff in specialised areas to drive technology development, attraction of USD 306.37 M from submission of winning proposals, and the benefit from more attractive incentives, loans and award schemes by at least 1780 staff.
In terms of monitoring and evaluation, the Director-General asserted that the four key drivers which formed the basis for the development of the strategic plan would be measured through various performance indicators such as the number of industry-driven technologies developed, and feature articles published.
According to Prof Bosu, the grand total budget for the strategic plan was ₵22,237,534.80, adding that a Strategic Plan Auditing Team (SPAT) responsible for auditing the operations of the Strategic Plan Implementation and Coordinating Committee (SPICC) and Institute Strategic Plan Implementation Committee (ISPIC) would be established.
Both the SPICC and ISPIC that would be established under the corporate CSIR and at all 13 institutes, Prof Bosu said would be made up of seven members and would be mandated to manage and drive the implementation of all aspects of the strategic plan, and to drive the internal implementation of institute strategic plans.
Prof Bosu, in a brief remark, charged the members of the Council to “have the mindset of a private organisation to ensure that the strategic plan is successfully implemented to achieve its set targets and objectives”.
Copies of the five-strategic plan were presented to the Council members of the CSIR after its launch for their perusal.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
The National Identification Authority has resumed the Ghana Card registration exercise for children between the ages of 6 and 14 in the Volta and Oti regions.
According to the Authority, the exercise begins on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority.
In a statement issued on May 4, the NIA said the exercise forms part of a nationwide campaign aimed at registering about 3.1 million children to strengthen Ghana’s national identity system.
The Authority explained that the Volta and Oti regions are the first areas selected for the phased national rollout, with each phase expected to last at least 21 days.
Registration teams are expected to move from school to school, covering both public and private institutions, to register eligible children.
The NIA said registration will take place daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
It added that children within the age bracket who are not in school can visit designated schools or registration centres in their communities to register.
According to the Authority, parents or guardians registering a child must present the child’s original birth certificate, valid Ghanaian passport or certificate of acquired citizenship.
Where these documents are unavailable, a parent, relative or legal guardian may complete an Oath of Identity form.
The NIA further explained that in cases where a child has no known relatives, two Social Welfare Officers may vouch for the child under oath.
Parents and guardians who have enrolled their children onto the National Health Insurance Scheme were encouraged to present the child’s NHIS card or number during registration.
The Authority stressed that persons presenting children for registration must be Ghanaian citizens, at least 18 years old, mentally sound and possess a valid Ghana Card.
The NIA also advised children who registered during the 2024 pilot phase but have not yet received their cards to visit their district offices for collection.
The Authority warned that providing false information or assisting in the registration of non-Ghanaians is a criminal offence punishable by law.
It reaffirmed its commitment to building a secure, reliable and inclusive national identity system for all Ghanaians.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Police in the Aburi District arrested 11 suspects for alleged possession of arms and ammunition without authority in connection with the Adambrobe chieftaincy dispute, the Command revealed on Monday.
Ten suspects were arrested on Sunday, May 3, at Adambrobe, Aburi.
Police identified them as Dawu Joseph, a farmer; Kwame Aboagye, a vulcanizer; Samuel Obeng, a taxi driver in Adambrobe; Owusu Paul, a member of the Adambrobe Asekyere family; Jerry John Kwame Atilla, a businessman in Sowutuom; and private security men Evans Dekadzor, Christian Atsu, Samuel Annan, Thomas Davidson, and Richard Agyeman.
The Aburi District Command retrieved five pump-action rifles, 23 live cartridges, one taser, six phones, and one body armor during the operation.
Police also impounded two vehicles used to transport the suspects: an unregistered Ford pickup and a Toyota Corolla with registration number GE 2560-19.
An additional suspect, Douglas Amoako Danquah, was arrested Monday, May 4, after being sighted in a procession within the area, police said.
The arrests are linked to the ongoing chieftaincy dispute in Adambrobe.
Suspects are currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
The Eastern Regional Police Command assured the public of their continued commitment to maintaining peace and stability in Adambrobe and urge all parties to exercise restraint.
