The Chairman of the Governing Council of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Ghana (CSIR-Ghana) has presented the first-place award to the CSIR-Building and Road Research Institute for being the highest-earning Institute, as well as the most commercially oriented Institute for the year 2020 in the CSIR. The awards ceremony was held at the CSIR- Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) premises on 16th December, 2020. Other Institutes that received awards were the Oil Palm Research Institute, OPRI, (Second-place award), and the Crops Research Institute, CRI, (Third-place award).
The Director of CSIR-BRRI, Ing. Surv. Dr. Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi, further explained that the awards ceremony was initiated by the Governing Council to appreciate Institutes that had worked in accordance with CSIR’s Strategic Plan with respect to Commercialisation and contribution to the internally generated funds (IGF) for CSIR-Ghana.
Prof. Paul Pinnock Bosu, the Deputy Director-General of CSIR-Ghana also elaborated on the importance of the event. He said the awards ceremony was to show appreciation to CSIR Institutes which had distinguished themselves in the area of Internally Generated Funds (IGF). Having said so, he congratulated the Directors, Management and Staff of the various Institutes that had won the awards. According to him, the ceremony was the first of its kind and an important initiative. This was because, CSIR-Ghana would want to continue to make progress not only in conducting research and generating technologies but also be seen as making research count in terms of income generation, job creation, as well as having a significant impact on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The impact does not concern work only but the recognition of the work done.
In his speech, the Chairman of CSIR Council, Prof. Robert Kingsford Adabor, acknowledged the simplicity of the gathering and congratulated the Institutes that were honoured. He then presented the various awards to the Institutes.
Prof. Marian Dorcas Quain, Deputy Director of Crops Research Institute, acknowledged the CSIR Council for their recognition of her Institute and assured of better performance in their commercialisation activities. She mentioned that the CRI was the producer of raw materials for Cassa De Ropa. Also, the CRI had released cassava varieties which were being used by many industries.
The West African Building Research Institute (WABRI), which is the forerunner of the present Building and Road Research Institute(BRRI), was established in 1952 in Accra to serve as potential support and adviser to Government during the Development and consolidation plans of 1951-1957/58 in which significant place was given to housing development schemes. Its activities were confined, however, essentially to the evaluation of the performance of foreign building materials under tropical environments.
In 1960, WABRI was renamed Building Research Institute, under the then Ghana Academy of Sciences. In 1963, the Institute was moved to the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to offer its expertise and services to the University. The Institute’s mandate was expanded to include road research in 1964, when the need to provide Research and Development (R & D) support for road construction industry became pertinent, hence, the current name, Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI).
Through researchers from a wide professional spectrum, the Institute has successfully carried out its research activities in the built environment, as well as the transportation sector to support the socio-economic development of Ghana.
L - R: Dr. Bettie Solomon-Ayeh, Dr. Asenso-Gyambibi and Prof. Afram with the first-place trophy for CSIR-BRRI
Prof. Marian Dorcas Quain with the third-place trophy for CSIR-CRI
Group Photo after the Ceremony