The Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund has officially closed its operations, drawing the curtain on a programme that supported research-to-innovation efforts across the continent, including work at the DIPPER Lab, KNUST.
At the RISA Fund Project Closeout Meeting held in Accra, the Scientific Director of the DIPPER Lab, Prof Eric Tutu Tchao, reflected on the Fund’s contribution to the lab’s growth and the commercialisation of its FarmSense product developed in collaboration with Sesi Technologies.
He said, “the RISA Fund was an enabler at a critical stage of the lab’s development, helping it remain active and focused on delivering solutions that respond to real needs in the agriculture sector”.
According to him, the FarmSense Commercialisation Project provided a pathway to move research into a market-ready product, with plans for self-sustainability and local production.
The project strengthened the university’s research-to-innovation profile through engagements with the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) and the National Communications Authority (NCA) under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership framework.
The Fund’s work also supported engagement with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, agricultural extension officers, NGOs, farmer groups and other stakeholders, contributing to FarmSense’s acceptance as a trusted digital agriculture product.
As the RISA Fund closes, DIPPER Lab continues to build on systems and partnerships established during the programme, including ongoing collaborations among researchers, industry and government actors.
The post-project activities have already led to the collection of additional datasets, the development of Pomaa AI, and the refinement of recommendations for farmers.
While the RISA Fund has come to an end, its impact on DIPPER Lab and FarmSense remains evident, having laid a foundation for continued innovation within Ghana’s agriculture and research ecosystem.
