The £1.9 million programme, which is dubbed; The Sankore Fund, would facilitate the commercialisation of innovative solutions, improve innovative policies and enhance digital service delivery in the beneficiary countries.

The initiative, which  is named after a medieval centre of learning in West Africa, Sankore, would also promote collaborative work between universities, research centres and the private sector, including turning new ideas into useful products for industry.

The UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, announced this at a press conference in Accra yesterday.

Earlier, he had visited an e-bike and battery company, Kofa, at the Aviation Social Centre to familiarise himself with its operations.

Present were the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori-Asiamah, and the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson.

Mr Collins explained that the “initiative is all about how we can work together to strengthen the global technology sector, create opportunities for rapidly growing economies with lots of potential to compete on the world stage".

The Sankore grant, he said, fostered partnerships at heart, and amplified the message that "we go far when we go together”.

Mr Collins, who has been at post for about eight weeks now, said the initiative was a priority for him and that it was a project that Ghana and the UK needed to focus on.

He said the two nations were close partners, especially in their mission to maximise the opportunities for green and inclusive growth.

The minister thanked the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for showing leadership under the Sankore initiative.

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, said the launch of Sankore had sent a message that the UK sought enormous value in partnering African countries on ST&I.

“We are committed to bringing those partnerships to life. This grant will further strengthen our existing partnerships on science, tech and innovation, in line with our joint  UK-Ghana ST&I strategy,” she added.

Significance

Mr Asiamah said the fund would help fuel innovation and also drive the pursuit of knowledge and business expansion.

“Today marks a pivotal moment in our collective journey towards a greener future. I am excited because we have been presented with yet another opportunity to further boost our commitment to scaling up the adoption of technology and innovation to achieve our goal of decarbonising the transport sector,” he said.

Mr Asiamah said the government's commitment to the decarbonisation of transport and energy sectors was contained in the new National Electric Vehicle Policy and the National Energy Transition Framework.

He said at the core of the policies was sustainability of the transition process vis-a-vis the role of private sector players.

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, said the initiative would help to bridge the funding gap for the country’s technological innovation.

“We are happy to partner key actors in the innovation ecosystem to drive the economic transformation in Ghana through ST&I,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Kofa, Erik Nygard, expressed appreciation to the UK government for providing funding for the programme.

He said his organisation provided clean and affordable energy.

The CEO of Pash Global, Kofi Owusu-Bempah, also said that his organisation was honoured to be part of the transformative initiative.  

Interested qualified organisations and partners that want to access the Sankore fund can submit their proposals for International development funding at GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), by October 25, 2024.