THEMATIC AREA 2: CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION & GREEN TECHNOLOGY

The climate change crisis and development needs of the world’s poor require us to acknowledge the necessity and urgency for both continued growth at the current pace, and rapid greening of this growth strategy. Serious environmental problems such as ecosystem disturbance, climate change, water and air pollution, and rising sea levels can be seen as the unintended consequences of global development processes. Within the past 40 years, temperature has increased in Ghana by about 1°C, whilst total amount of rainfall has decreased by about 20% in the forest zone of the country. The impacts of the rising temperatures and variable rainfall pattern have had serious consequences on the socio-economic development of the country, food security, water resources, health and livelihoods of the citizens of Ghana. In an effort to minimise the impacts of climate change, the country has pursued a number of programs and strategies necessary to adapt to the impacts of climate change, including research and the development of climate change strategic policies and actions. The climate change, environmental conservation and green technologies research programme of CSIR will thus focus on the following:

• Soil, Water and Biodiversity Conservation
• Climate Change Mitigation (Including REDD+)
• Climate Change adaptation and Social Development
• Pollution and Waste Management, (Including Bio-Remediation)
• Green Technologies for Sustainable Development

For mitigation research, the CSIR will focus on REDD+, and other intervention such as agricultural biotechnology to produce crops varieties with enhanced carbon sequestration; conservation tillage for CO2 and methane mitigation; and Biochar. On the other hand adaptation research activities at CSIR will be focused on the adoption of agroforestry practices; crop diversification; planting of drought-resistant and short-season varieties and introduction of practices to enhance soil moisture retention in fields among others. Cross cutting research studies in this area will include governance/tenure barriers and the associated vulnerabilities to climate change adaptation and mitigation in Ghana; and monitoring of natural resources at risk for long-term sustainability and resilience of the vegetation, farmers and local communities.

The research on green technologies on the other hand will focus on how environmental conservation can play an essential role in sustaining economic development. In addition, CSIR researchers will look at how natural capital can be manipulated to yield considerable economic dividends for local communities which are dependent on agricultural production and natural resources for their livelihoods. CSIR will continue to investigate how economic development can be used to provide a solid material foundation for environmental protection efforts, enabling governments to take a better care of their ecosystems, and equip them financially and technologically for the fight against climate change. Green growth aimed at achieving harmony between economic growth and environmental sustainability is just what Ghana needs to obtain long-term and well-rounded human development. Green growth can be defined as “fostering economic growth and development, while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies”. By maximizing the synergies between economic development and environmental protection, the concept of green growth emphasizes that strategic environmental policies can not only foster environmental sustainability at a low cost, but also have the potential to sustain long-term economic growth In other words, CSIR's research work will seek to ensure that strategic climate policies are not framed as a choice between the environment and economic development, but rather as a choice between effective measures to achieve balance between the two dimensions.

THEMATIC AREA 3: MATERIAL SCIENCE & MANUFACTURING

Research and innovation in the field of materials science and manufacturing by the CSIR, its partners and stakeholders will aim to improve industry competitiveness. The CSIR is in a unique position to add value and impact to the materials and manufacturing industries in Ghana. CSIR Materials Science and Manufacturing's strategy is centered around three main programmes, namely;

• Material Science (Wood, Metals, Integrated Materials)
• Industrial Products (Bio-Resource and Bio-Products Engineering)
• Nanotechnology and Nano Products

CSIR will also work towards the development of materials which are preferred by Ghanaian industries. The materials will include: Metallic Alloys, integrated wood-plastic materials, Superplastic Materials, Ceramics and Glasses, Composites, Amorphous Materials, Nanomaterials, Biomaterials, Multifunctional Materials, Smart Materials, Engineering Polymers, Functional materials, Superconducting Materials, Structured Materials, Hard/Soft Magnetic Materials and Crosscutting materials Ductility.

Under this thematic area, CSIR will also work in priority areas such as: Casting, Powder Metallurgy, Welding, Sintering, Heat Treatment, Thermo-Chemical Treatment, Machining, Plastic Forming, Quality Assessment, Automation Engineering Processes, Robotics, Mechatronics, Technological Devices and Equipment, Production and Operations Management, Production Planning and Control, Manufacturing Technology Management, Quality Management, Environmental Management, Safety and Health Management, Modeling, analysis and simulation of manufacturing processes. Micro and Nano-fabrication, materials processing and technology, Engineering Optimization, Product Design and Development.

THEMATIC AREA 4: ENERGY AND PETROLEUM

This thematic area will focus on climate-friendly energy production. Research work will critically analyze energy sources in order to provide information to decision-makers on the most appropriate source or combination of sources for a reliable and sustained supply of power to households and industry.

CSIR energy and petroleum research in Ghana will focus on helping to build capacity and resources of local communities to adapt to the impact of climate change in the energy sector and to benefit from modern climate-friendly technologies. As Ghana's economy continues to grow, demand for energy will increase and emissions will increase. Climate-friendly energy pathway, which is a roadmap of energy use options to ensure low emission of greenhouse gases, is therefore urgently needed. CSIR's research will help develop and promote climate-friendly bio-energy pathway for energy security in Ghana.

This is important because indigenous primary energy sources in Ghana amounts to 7.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (2007 data from Energy Commission). This is about 11.5 times the annual energy generated by the two national hydroelectric plants at Akosombo and Kpong. It is estimated that about 16 million m3 of wood valued at approximately US $200 million is consumed in various forms as energy per annum. This accounts for more than 75% of all sources of energy consumed in Ghana. This is followed by hydro-electric energy which comprise 5-10% and solar energy which has less than 1%. Of the primary energy sources, only 9% of energy reaching the final consumer was in the form of electricity, while 65% arrived as biomass (firewood and charcoal).

The overall objective of the project is to develop and promote a climate-friendly bio-energy pathway for energy security in Ghana in order to support sustainable development and reduce poverty.

The immediate objectives are to:

• Develop a climate-friendly energy pathway in Ghana
• Develop domestic energy security strategies for Ghana.
• Promote climate-friendly bioenergy options for sustainable rural livelihoods.
• Support management of rural landscape that integrates use of bioenergy (including charcoal) with agroforestry and conservation issues.
• Develop climate-friendly energy models. CSIR will also work towards the creation of climate-friendly pathways
• Establish sustainable energy mix for energy-deficit zones in the country.
• Determine domestic energy security strategies
• Determine local communities’ resilience to the impact of climate variability in relation to energy availability and supply.
• Determine local communities' capacity to adapt to climate-friendly energy options.
• Generate and analyse data on carbon stock and biomass increments suitable for REDD+ projects. This will among others include assessments of total ecosystem carbon balances

CSIR's research activities will focus on the following:

• Oil and Gas (including Cathodic Protection System)
• Renewable Energy including Bio-energy and Bio-gas
• Energy and Oil by-Products (Bitumen)
• Metrology and Industrial Engineering

Some of the other research topics the CSIR will embark on include: fluid flow dynamics in porous media, porous media characterization, virtual intelligence applications, investment and decision analysis, petroleum geosciences and wind turbines and farms.

THEMATIC AREA 5: BIOMEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Biomedical and Public Health research at CSIR will focus on human and animal epidemiology (including research into infectious diseases, clinical epidemiology and in the field of risk evaluation), Biostatistics, Health Communication, Health Policy and Nutrition. Other research programmes under this theme will include:

• Plant and Animal Health (Pathology, Virology, Entomology, Micro-Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology)
• Genetics, Germplasm Conservation, Bio-prospecting and Bio-processing
• Bio-Informatics, Bio-Physics and Bio-Chemistry
• Biomedical, Biosafety and Public Health Ethics

THEMATIC AREA 6: ELECTRONICS AND ICT

CSIR's research in the area of Electronics, Information, Communications and Technology will focus on developing simple electronic tools and equipment for use by local communities. We will also focus on the development of electronic communication systems and solving electronic communications engineering problems, including the utilisation of science and math applied to practical problems in the field of communications. We hope to develop next generation communication devices.

CSIR research work will thus focus on the following areas;

• Computing and Software Systems (Electronic and Computing Engineering)
• Electrical and Electronic Systems and Design
• Information and Communication System, including Geographic and Management Information System
• Robotics and Mathematical Sciences

Other research areas will include Computer Hardware Architecture, Computer Networks, Multimedia Systems and Machine Learning; telecommunications, broadcasting and other communications engineering technologies; industrial electronics and instrumentation; semiconductor applications, manufacture and test engineering; systems analysis and controls engineering, software and hardware engineering.

THEMATIC AREA 7: SCIENCE AND PEOPLE

The research agenda of CSIR will continue to be re-aligned with the development priorities of government and development partners by putting research in the context of socio- economic development and sustainable resource utilization. The Primary Focus of CSIR Research will be on Livelihood Transformation and Economic Development. This is in line with national priorities as outlined in the Ghana Agenda for Shared Growth and Development (GASGD). The CSIR will thus also focus on research on social protection, which has the potential to reduce the vulnerability of poor people to the extent that they can manage moderate risk without external support. Thus innovative social protection measures that move significant numbers of poor people out of vulnerability and extreme poverty into more productive and resilient livelihoods will be the primary focus of CSIR research.

In addition, CSIR will present to Government an Annual Report on the Contribution of Science and Technology to the Economic Development of the Country. The CSIR will also hold annual press conferences on key CSIR technologies and their impact on economic development. An S&T Dissemination Platform will also be created, which will consist of development partners, Industry, CSIR, Universities and the other academic institutions.

A strong drive will be created within the CSIR towards the recognition of the service to society as a key function of the CSIR. In this regard, the priority research areas under this thematic area are:

• Policy and Governance
• Statistical, Social and Economic Research
• Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Community Improvement
• Technology for Livelihood and Wealth Creation