The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination of knowledge in all branches of the sciences and the humanities.

[1][2] It was merged with the National Research Council in 1963 to become the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 1968, it was again split into (a) The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is a purely learned society, and (b) The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which undertakes research of an applied nature related to national needs.

[3][2] The mission of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences is to encourage the creation, acquisition, dissemination and utilization of knowledge for national development through the promotion of learning.

Honorary fellow The Council may elect as an honorary fellow any person of eminence in the arts or sciences who is not a Ghanaian citizen and has made significant contributions to the advancement of the arts or sciences.