Prof. Alexander Kwarteng of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) has been appointed Director of Research and Innovation at the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF).

The Fund supports research and innovation aimed at addressing national priorities, strengthening scientific capacity and contributing to sustainable development across sectors of the economy.

Professor Kwarteng is an Associate Professor whose research focuses on the immunology of infectious diseases, interactions between pathogens and their hosts, and neglected tropical diseases. His work includes studies on tuberculosis, meningitis and filarial infections.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences and a Master of Philosophy degree in Clinical Microbiology from KNUST, as well as a doctorate in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Bonn in Germany. He also undertook postdoctoral research at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR).

His research experience includes international collaborations and clinical trials on river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. He has also worked on antimicrobial stewardship among people with filarial infections and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate research.

He is also President of the Kumasi Chapter of the Ghana Science Association.

The GNRF was launched in June 2026 with an announced seed capital of GH¢100 million. It provides a national framework for financing research, strengthening scientific capability and aligning research with Ghana’s development priorities.

At the launch, the government emphasised the need for research to produce practical solutions, support industry and generate innovations that could be commercialised. The Fund has also developed a Research and Innovation Strategy covering 2026 to 2030.