At a ceremony in Accra on Fri­day, the Director-General of CSIR, Professor Paul Bosu, hailed the establishment of the directorate as a significant achievement for the organisation.

He emphasised that the direc­torate would play a crucial role in the commercialisation of CSIR’s products, including oil palm seed nuts, coconut seedlings, and pre­kese syrup.

Professor Bosu noted that CSIR has a range of products and ser­vices at various stages of develop­ment that were not yet ready for the market and required effective business strategies to advance them.

Again, he emphasised the im­portance of collaboration among various stakeholders, including di­rectors, management and staff of the council urging them to actively support CSIR’s commercialisation initiatives.

This collective efforts, he be­lieved, would enhance the impact of CSIR’s research and innova­tions, ultimately benefiting the economy and society as a whole.

Mrs Appiah, a seasoned mar­keter with 22 years of experience at CSIR, expressed her gratitude to the members of the Governing Council for placing the responsi­bility of CSIR’s commercialisation efforts in her hands.

She acknowledged that CSIR has made notable strides in commercial activities, particularly in the devel­opment of pozzolana cement.

However, she also pointed out that achieving the goal of gen­erating 30 per cent of recurrent expenditure has proven difficult due to high utility costs, elevated production expenses, and low production levels.

“As the Director of commercial­isation, my primary objective will be to guide Corporate CSIR and all 13 of its institutes in reaching, and ideally exceeding, our target, “stated Mrs Appiah.

To support her vision, she outlined four key pillars: restruc­turing CSIR’s business operations for more effective implementation, developing innovative business and marketing strategies, explor­ing strategic funding options and capital utilisation, and building a strong team to ensure efficient and profitable operations.

Moreover, she emphasised the importance of fostering close collaboration among researchers, marketers, and business teams, be­ginning with concepts generation and continuing through to product development.

Mrs Appiah also mentioned her intention to partner with private investors in order to improve the Internally Generate Fund (IGF) of the Council and the Country at large.

Recognising the challenges of securing sufficient and sustainable financial resources for business de­velopment within CSIR, she stated that she would work with her team to proactively engage with institute directors to address these issues.