Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

What Council for Scientific and Industrial Research does

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), headquartered in Tamale, Ghana, is a state-backed scientific research institution operating with 501–1,000 employees across agricultural science, health technology, and emerging technology domains. Founded in 1994 and primarily government-funded, CSIR functions as Ghana's premier applied-research body, executing projects through international partnerships rather than through commercial sales channels; no pricing or revenue model is publicly disclosed because its funding flows from government appropriations and project-specific grants.

CSIR's portfolio spans three core product lines. Its agricultural-technology stream includes certified rice seed production under the Korea Rice-Belt Project — currently producing approximately 1,580 metric tonnes of certified seed with a stated target of 5,000 metric tonnes by 2027 — and a partnership with Groundnest Technology Incubator deploying drone systems across up to 3,000 acres of commercial wheat production for aerial mapping, crop monitoring, pesticide application, and yield estimation. In health technology, CSIR operates the African Clin-MAP platform, a multiome data analysis environment enhanced through a partnership with PromptBio (California) to deliver AI-driven insights for precision medicine tailored to African populations. A third stream, capacity building, is delivered through training programmes such as the three-day Certified Rice Seed Production Technology Training Programme run jointly with KOPIA Ghana Centre, which currently engages seed specialists from seven African countries (Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Togo).

Commercially, CSIR is not structured as a revenue-generating enterprise; it has no disclosed pricing, no public revenue metrics, and no traditional distribution channels. Its go-to-market motion is partnership-driven: relationships with the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative, KOPIA Ghana Centre, Groundnest, and PromptBio function as both funding channels and technology-transfer rails. The entity's customer base is concentrated in government agricultural bodies and research institutions, with commercial farming operators (e.g., Ghanaian wheat farmers) emerging as a secondary segment through the drone deployment initiative. CSIR does not pursue conventional product marketing; outreach occurs through partnership announcements and international cooperation frameworks.

Name

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

Legal name

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

Website

https://csir-sari.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a Ghanaian government research institution based in Tamale that conducts applied R&D in agricultural science, health technology, and emerging technologies — delivering certified seed production, agricultural drone deployment, and AI-driven precision medicine platforms across seven African countries through international partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific and Industrial Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm Data Management & Decision Support Services (FMIS Setup, Data Integration, Analytics) (AFACACAC), Variable Rate Technology (VRT) Services (Seeding, Fertility, Crop Protection Prescriptions) (AFACACAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural research
• Scientific research services
• Crop seed production
• Precision agriculture technology
• Biomedical data analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Tamale

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Core offering

CSIR is Ghana's premier government scientific research institution conducting applied research and technology development across agricultural science, health technology, and emerging fields. It develops and deploys drone-based agricultural modernization systems, an AI-powered multiome data analytics platform for African precision medicine (African Clin-MAP), and certified rice seed production technology with associated multi-country training programmes.

Product overview

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) operates as a research institution offering agricultural technology services, AI-driven health data platforms, and training programmes. Its product portfolio includes drone technology for large-scale agricultural modernization, the African Clin-MAP platform for multiome data analysis supporting African precision medicine, and agricultural training programmes focused on certified rice seed production. These offerings address agricultural productivity, healthcare innovation, and capacity building across African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone Technology for Agricultural Modernization

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced dependence on wheat imports through technology-driven commercial farming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KOPIA Ghana CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026KOPIA Ghana Centre, in collaboration with CSIR and the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative, launched a three-day Certified Rice Seed Production Technology Training Programme as part of the Korea Rice-Belt Project targeting rice self-sufficiency in West Africa. The initiative supports seed specialists from seven African countries.
• Groundnest Technology IncubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 March 2026Groundnest Technology Incubator, in partnership with Ghana's CSIR, is deploying drone technology across up to 3,000 acres of commercial wheat production as part of a major agricultural modernization effort. The initiative is backed by Austrian agricultural expertise and focuses on building local capacity through training programs.
• PromptBiocoreTechnology or Integration · 11 December 2025CSIR in Africa has partnered with PromptBio, a California-based company, to enhance multiome data analysis and AI-driven insights for the African Clin-MAP platform. The initiative aims to accelerate the development of treatments for African populations and support local health innovation through advanced data analytics capabilities.
• Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation initiative supporting the Korea Rice-Belt Project, collaborating with CSIR and KOPIA Ghana Centre to achieve rice self-sufficiency in West Africa through certified seed production, with a target of 5,000 metric tonnes by 2027.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA): IITA is a CGIAR-affiliated research organization focused on African agricultural R&D, including staple crops, agronomy, and capacity building. It is directly comparable to CSIR in mandate, target geography, and crop focus, making it the closest peer.
• International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe): icipe is an Africa-based international research center focused on insect and arthropod science for agricultural and health outcomes. Comparable to CSIR in its Africa-headquartered, government-and-donor-backed research mandate with cross-sector impact.
• AfricaRice: AfricaRice is a pan-African rice research center and CGIAR affiliate working on rice self-sufficiency across West Africa. Highly comparable to CSIR's rice seed production and Korea Rice-Belt Project, including similar training-of-trainers programs for African seed specialists.

Emerging players

• PrecisionHawk: PrecisionHawk provides drone-based aerial data and analytics for agriculture. It is comparable to CSIR's drone-enabled wheat farming initiative (3,000 acres), though it operates as a commercial technology vendor rather than a research institution.

Broad incumbents

• CIMMYT: CIMMYT is the CGIAR center for maize and wheat improvement. Comparable to CSIR's 3,000-acre wheat modernization initiative, though CIMMYT operates globally with deeper breeding and seed system capabilities.
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI): IRRI is the world's leading rice research body and a CGIAR center. It overlaps with CSIR's Korea Rice-Belt Project and certified seed work, but operates globally with substantially larger breeding pipelines and funding.
• CGIAR System Organization: CGIAR is the global umbrella for international agricultural research centers including IITA, IRRI, and CIMMYT. It is a broad incumbent in the same scientific mandate as CSIR, but operates at much larger scale and with a wider crop and geography portfolio.

Regional players

• Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR): EIAR is Ethiopia's national agricultural research institute with a mandate spanning crop improvement, agronomy, and technology transfer. Comparable in institutional form and R&D focus, but anchored in East Africa.
• Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO): KALRO is a national agricultural research body serving Kenya with similar crop, livestock, and natural resource R&D mandate. Comparable institutional model to CSIR but anchored in East Africa rather than West Africa.
• National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) Uganda: NARO is Uganda's national agricultural research system. It shares CSIR's structure as a government-mandated, multi-institute research organization focused on staple crops and farmer capacity building, but with different geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSIR_SARI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Council for Scientific and Industrial Research