Heritors Labs strengthens Ghana’s innovation ecosystem ties with Francis-Xavier Sosu

On 14th March, representatives from Heritors Labs, Mr Kofi Ocloo and Programme Engagement Lead, Ms Barbara Aidoo paid a courtesy visit to Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency. This high-level engagement underscored the shared commitment to fostering a robust, innovation-driven economy through strategic partnerships between government, private sector stakeholders, and research institutions.

Discussions focused on accelerating Ghana’s transition towards a knowledge-based economy by addressing commercialisation bottlenecks and strengthening policy frameworks that support science, technology, innovation, and research (STIR).

At the heart of the conversation was ARICS 2025—a flagship initiative shaping Africa’s research-to-commercialisation agenda. Hon. Sosu reaffirmed his commitment to supporting this game-changing platform, highlighting the critical role of policy advocacy, regulatory facilitation, and legislative backing in accelerating Ghana’s innovation-driven economic growth. From Suppliers to Global Power Players A key highlight of the meeting was Hon. Sosu’s agreement to deliver a keynote address at ARICS 2025 on the topic: “The Africa Trade Awakening – From Suppliers to Global Power Players.”

For decades, Africa has powered global industries, supplying the raw materials that drive economies worldwide. But the time has come for more Africa to Lead. The address will focus on shifting from being suppliers to building, owning, and leading industries on a global scale.

Hon. Sosu’s address will dive into how we can create the right environment for African innovators, start-ups, and businesses to break barriers, scale beyond local markets, and compete at the highest levels.

As part of the discussions, Mr Ocloo presented the Innovation Trust Corridor Evidence Report— a cross-continental economic partnership to foster innovation and accelerate the commercialisation of research for economic impact between the UK and African Commonwealth countries.

Building upon the UK’s robust innovation ecosystem, the ITC offers a structured framework to facilitate co-creation, intellectual property exchange, and regulatory alignment. This initiative will provide critical policies and infrastructure to support shared innovation among participating countries, fostering mutual growth.

Countries currently being considered for this innovation economy partnership are: Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and the United Kingdom under the UK Africa Innovation Trust Corridor.

Speaking on the significance of this initiative, Mr Ocloo stated; “Innovation thrives on collaboration, and the Innovation Trust Corridor (ITC) is a bold step towards bridging the gap between research and commercial success across the UK and African Commonwealth countries.

By leveraging the UK’s well-established innovation ecosystem, this partnership creates a structured framework for innovation co-creation, intellectual property exchange, innovation trade and innovation resource and infrastructure sharing. Our goal is to propel innovation beyond development and into active commercialisation, driving economic impact for all participating nations.” This engagement marks a pivotal step in aligning Ghana’s Science, Technology, Innovation, and Research (STIR) policy objectives with a broader innovation and industrialisation agenda that spans continents.

By fostering strategic partnerships, intellectual property exchange, and regulatory alignment, Heritors Labs is driving investment in cutting-edge research, talent development, and market-driven solutions. This approach is set to accelerate the commercialisation of innovation for lasting economic impact, strengthening Ghana’s position within the global innovation ecosystem. As Ghana positions itself at the forefront of Africa’s innovation revolution, Heritors Labs stands ready to champion this vision through sustained engagement, investment, and policy-driven

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