Gov’t Raises Book and Research Allowance to GH¢610m to Avert Teachers’ Strike

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that government has increased the book and research allowance for tertiary education staff from GH¢408 million to GH¢610 million for the 2025 academic year.

The announcement was made at the 22nd Biennial Conference of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

The decision comes after growing agitation from tertiary education unions, including UTAG, the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), who had threatened a nationwide strike over delays in disbursement.

Mr. Iddrisu assured the academic community of government’s commitment to supporting teaching and research. He noted that his ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, is working to ensure that payments are released without further delays.

“In the last few months, there was a threat and semblance of a strike in the name of book and research allowance. I am happy to note that from GH¢408 million for the year, this year the government is committing GH¢610 million to honour your book and research allowance. And that is in process,” he stated.

The increment is expected to ease tensions and strengthen relations between government and tertiary education unions, who have consistently argued that timely and adequate research support is critical to enhancing the quality of teaching, innovation, and knowledge production in Ghana’s higher education sector.