Welcome to DRID
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Development (DRID) at the University of Media, Arts, and Communication (UniMAC). As Ghana's specialist university for media, communication, and the creative arts, UniMAC is uniquely placed to produce research that speaks directly to how information, culture, and technology shape our society. DRID exists to grow that potential—supporting our faculty and students from the first research idea through ethical review and funding to publication and public engagement.
In recent years, DRID has built a steady rhythm of research activity across UniMAC's constituent institutes — from our long-running Inter-Faculty Research Seminar series, which brings staff together to test and strengthen one another's work, to the webinars we have hosted on academic publishing, which help researchers reach credible, high-impact journals. These initiatives reflect our commitment to a research culture that is rigorous, collaborative, and geared toward real academic and societal impact
To support this work, DRID coordinates internal and external research funding, administers ethical clearance through the Research Ethics Review Board (RERB), and facilitates partnerships that connect our researchers with institutions locally and internationally.
I invite faculty, students, funding partners, and collaborating institutions to engage with us in advancing research and innovation at UniMAC. Together, we can produce scholarship that meets international standards of rigour while speaking directly to Ghana's development priorities.
I encourage you to explore what DRID offers, connect with our team, and join us in this work.
Our research agenda highlights cross-cutting themes that respond to national and global priorities—digital communication, climate change, artificial intelligence and culture, misinformation and media ethics, gender and inclusivity, and the creative economy.
Dr. Albert Anani-Bossman, Director,
Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Development (DRID)
About Us
The Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID) serves as UniMAC's research engine. It exists to build a strong, vibrant research culture across the university's constituent institutes by supporting faculty and student research, encouraging innovation, and driving interdisciplinary collaboration. DRID is responsible for shaping research policy, coordinating internal and external funding opportunities, organising seminars, and building strategic partnerships with institutions in Ghana and abroad—ensuring UniMAC's research agenda responds to national development priorities while contributing to global scholarship.
Vision
To position UniMAC as a recognised centre for research in media, arts, and communication in Africa, producing knowledge that informs policy, enriches practice, and advances societal development.
Mission
DRID exists to cultivate a strong, ethical, and impact-oriented research culture at UniMAC by strengthening faculty capacity, expanding access to funding, supporting strategic partnerships, and advancing the dissemination and application of research.
Core Values
The fundamental principles that guide our research culture, institutional conduct, and academic pursuits:
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Excellence
Upholding high standards in research design, conduct, and dissemination.
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Integrity
Ensuring ethical rigour, transparency, and accountability in all processes.
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Inclusion
Promoting diversity, equity, and broad participation in research initiatives.
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Africanism
Centring African perspectives, knowledge systems, and socio-cultural contexts.
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Collaboration
Building partnerships that enhance research quality, scope, and collective impact.
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Impact
Ensuring research actively contributes to policy, practice, and societal development.
Structure & Services
Organisational Structure
DRID is led by the Director, who provides strategic leadership, policy oversight, and institutional coordination, supported by a small team responsible for operational delivery, research support, administration, and coordination across the institutes. Research Officers assigned to each institute play a central role in facilitating DRID's activities at the faculty level, supporting ethics processes, grant awareness, research coordination, and faculty engagement.
As the Directorate grows, DRID plans to formalise two functional streams — Research and Grants Support, and Innovation and Development — to strengthen grant facilitation, research visibility, partnerships, and knowledge transfer.
Core Services
- Research policy guidance and support for faculty and postgraduate students;
- Coordination of internal and external research grants, funding calls, and scholarship opportunities;
- Organisation of inter-faculty seminars, webinars, and research training workshops;
- Support for research publication, including the UniMAC Journal and the Annual Research and Innovation Report;
- Facilitation of institutional and international research partnerships and collaborations; and
- Administration of Research Ethics Review Board (RERB) forms, templates, and approvals;
- Support the implementation of the Research and Research Ethics policies
- Compilation of Faculty/Department annual reports into the university-wide Annual Research and Innovation Report;
- Annual capacity-building workshops on research methods, digital tools, and academic publishing.
Our strategic pillars (2026–2030)
Key areas driving our long-term institutional growth and research focus:
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1. Research Capacity and Culture
Building a sustainable research culture through training, mentorship, and postgraduate research support.
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2. Grants, Partnerships, and Visibility
Improving access to funding, strengthening partnerships, and increasing the visibility of UniMAC research.
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3. Research Governance & Support
Institutionalising transparent, ethical research governance and administrative support.
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4. Innovation & Strategic Growth
Supporting knowledge application, industry linkages, and the development of new research focus areas.
Research Priority Areas
Our research addresses key societal challenges, national development priorities and global transformation in media, communication, arts and related fields:
1. Digital Communication
Exploring how digital technologies and platforms shape communication practices, audiences, and societies.
2. Climate Change
Investigating climate change communication, adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development for a better future.
3. AI & Culture
Examining the intersections of AI, technology and culture, and their impact on society, creativity and the arts.
4. Misinformation & Media Ethics
Promoting media integrity, combatting misinformation, and advancing ethical standards in research and practice.
5. Gender & Inclusivity
Advancing gender equality, social inclusion and diverse perspectives in media, communication, arts and society.
6. Creative Economy
Strengthening creative industries, cultural entrepreneurship and innovation for economic and social transformation.
Our research agenda is collaborative, interdisciplinary and solution-oriented—advancing knowledge, influencing policy, enriching practice and contributing to Ghana and the world.
Research Outputs
Strategic Communication in the Era of Synthetic Media: Exploring Organizational Responses to AI-Generated Threats in Ghana
International Journal of Strategic Communication (2026)
Mapping the Capabilities of Communication Professionals in Africa: Insights from Three Countries
Journal of Communication Management (2026)
Workplace Freedom of Speech and Organisational Dissent Strategies in Ghana: Evidence From a Cross-Sectoral Study
International Journal of Business Communication (2026)
Decolonizing Public Relations Ethics: Insights from Ghana’s Cultural Context
Journal of Media Ethics (2026)
Reframing the Situational Theory of Publics for Participatory Community Development: Shifting from Stakeholder Labels to Development Publics
Community Development Journal (2026)
Discursive Construction of Ghana's Digital Agenda in (Vice) Presidential Discourse: A Corpus-Assisted Study
Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 13, 102461 (2026)
An Analysis of Deliberate Metaphor Framing of Ghana’s E-Levy on Social Media Platforms
International Journal of Language and Culture (2026)
Language, Ecology, and Cultural Wisdom: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Akan and Ga Environmental Proverbs
Journal of Innovations in Art and Culture for Nature Conservation and Environmental Sustainability, 3(2) (2026)
Posthuman Knowledge as Prohuman: Posthumanist Expressions in a Contemporary Ghanaian Film Narrative
Journal of African Films & Diaspora Studies, 9(1), 371–390 (2026)
Voices as Visuals: A Review of Community Radio as a Graphic Communication Tool for Intercultural Social Change
Questiones Publicitarias, 9(37), 39–42 (2026)
Journal: JOCMAS
The Journal of Communications, Media, and Society (JOCMAS) is a multidisciplinary scholarly journal published by the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC). It provides a platform for academics and industry researchers in Africa and beyond to publish and access research in communication, media, and related areas of the social sciences and humanities.
ISSN: 3134-5484
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Discover impactful research from UniMAC scholars addressing real-world challenges.
How Prepared Are Ghanaian Organisations for the Threat of Synthetic Media?
As AI-generated images, videos and audio become increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic content, organisations face new risks to reputation and stakeholder trust. The study examines how strategic communication professionals in Ghana understand and respond to these emerging synthetic-media threats.
Awareness of synthetic media is growing, but organisational preparedness remains limited. Detection tools are not widely used, responses tend to be reactive, and limited resources, insufficient leadership support and weak policy frameworks constrain effective organisational responses.
The findings point to the need for stronger digital literacy, synthetic-media preparedness within crisis communication planning, better cross-functional collaboration and more proactive organisational communication strategies.
Communicating Against Galamsey: What Do Ghanaians Think of the Campaign?
Communication has become an important part of Ghana’s response to illegal mining. A study of 347 Ghanaians examined public perceptions of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey and the effectiveness of its communication efforts.
Respondents considered the Coalition effective in public sensitisation, advocacy and visual communication, but less effective in stakeholder engagement, community mobilisation, entertainment education and social marketing. They also perceived insufficient commitment from key state and societal actors.
The findings suggest that communication against illegal mining needs to move beyond awareness creation towards deeper community and stakeholder engagement, supported by stronger leadership and institutional commitment.
What Can Ghanaian Film Tell Us About Being Human in a Technological Age?
As digital technologies increasingly shape human experience, contemporary African cinema offers an important space for examining what these changes mean for identity, knowledge and society. This study explores posthumanist expressions in a contemporary Ghanaian film narrative.
The article examines how a Ghanaian film narrative engages questions associated with posthuman knowledge and the relationship between technological change and human experience. It positions African film as a valuable site for thinking through contemporary debates about humanity, culture and technology.
The study broadens conversations about posthumanism by bringing a Ghanaian cultural and cinematic perspective into debates often dominated by Western contexts. It also demonstrates the contribution of film and creative scholarship to understanding technological and social change.
How Is Language Shaping Ghana’s Digital Agenda?
Political leaders do more than announce digital transformation policies; the language they use also shapes how those policies are understood. This corpus-assisted study examines how Ghana’s digital agenda is constructed in presidential and vice-presidential discourse.
The study analyses recurring linguistic patterns and framing in political discourse around Ghana’s digital agenda, showing how language is used to construct and communicate ideas about digitalisation, development and national transformation.
Understanding how political discourse frames digital transformation can help researchers, communicators and policymakers assess how national technology agendas are presented to the public and how language influences public understanding of development priorities.
Research Ethics Review Board (RERB)
The Research Ethics Review Board supports the ethical conduct of research involving human participants at UniMAC by reviewing research proposals and ensuring compliance with applicable ethical principles and institutional requirements.
Grants/Funding
UniMAC researchers continue to attract external support for research, scholarly development and creative projects. Selected recently awarded grants are highlighted below.
GRANT AWARD
Reclaiming Ritual Knowledge Through Performance: Perspectives from Africa and the Diaspora
Funding Body: The Museums Lab CollabFund
UniMAC Participation: Dr Sela Kodjo Adjei (UniMAC-IFT)
Focus: Provenance research on Ghanaian art collections, engagement with diaspora groups and museum teams...
GRANT AWARD
PhD Thesis Completion Grant
Funding Body: African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA)
UniMAC Participation: Cecilia Avorkliyah (UniMAC-IFT)
Focus: The award supports completion of the PhD thesis, with planned research dissemination...
GRANT AWARD
Ngugi: A Life Well Lived
Funding Body: Alec Glasser Centre for the Power of Music
UniMAC Participation: Dr Sela Kodjo Adjei (UniMAC-IFT)
Focus: A funded scholarly/creative project supported by the Alec Glasser Centre for the Power of Music and Social Change.
News and Events
UniMAC Partners with TIIKM for 2027 World Conference on Media and Mass Communication
The University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC) has entered into an academic partnership with the International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM) for the 12th World Conference on Media and Mass Communication, scheduled for 5–6 April 2027 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Under the partnership, UniMAC will serve as an Academic Partner for the conference...
UniMAC DRID Director Engages TIIKM Global Interns on Social Media and Professional Influence
The Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID) at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Dr Albert Anani-Bossman, has delivered an interactive webinar for participants in the TIIKM Global Internship Programme 2026, organised by the International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM).
Held virtually on 26 August 2026, the session, titled “Social Media Development & Professional Development Aspects”...
Resources
Contact Us
Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID)
University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC)
No. 5 Alboran Street, South Legon.
Tel: (+233) 302 228 336
Email: drid@unimac.edu.gh