Nana Sam Brew-Butler (right), Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman (left) at the launch of the fund in Accra
Graduate students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) can now access the Samuel and Emelia Brew-Butler GRASAG Research Fund set up to assist them evolve scholarly research to enhance the development of the country.
The fund, recently launched in Accra, is meant to provide financial assistance to graduate researchers.
Borne out of the need for quality research into policy direction and development, the fund was launched by Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman.
She stressed the importance of quality research to the development of the country, saying through research, universities would create a body of knowledge that would help end crime, reduce poverty, improve human rights and correct the many ills of society.
Nana Brew-Butler, Chairman of the UCC Council, noted that research is the cornerstone for social, technological, industrial and other forms of development and called for a paradigm shift in the approach and attitude to research work.
He said, “The shift should lead us to invest, as a nation or corporate or private entities, in the training of the researchers and in research work. Research is the root of sustained development at the personal, institutional, national and global levels.”
Nana Brew-Butler, who is also an energy investor, observed that there is the need to empower innovative and creative individuals who could also contribute to the economic development of Ghana.
The University of Cape Coast branch of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana; UCC-GRASAG – took the initiative to set up the fund to alleviate the plight of their members.
The executives named the fund after Nana Brew-Butler, for his immense contribution to the university.
According to Nana Brew-Butler, he had the idea of setting up a similar fund in honour of his late wife, Mrs Emelia Brew-Butler, who died on July 4, 2013. He proposed that the fund be rather named after him and his late wife, as she was more into research and was a product of the university, hence the name: Samuel and Emelia Brew-Butler GRASAG-UCC Research Fund.