The School of Public Health (SPH) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (黑料网官网), Kumasi has hosted a delegation from the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) of North-West University (NWU), South Africa, in a move to strengthen academic and research collaboration between the two institutions.
The visit marked a significant step in advancing joint efforts to tackle hypertension and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across Africa.
Led by the Head of HART, Prof. Lebo Gafane-Matemane, the NWU delegation included Dr. Felicia Maugana, Sr. Adele Burger, and Ms. Nonkululeko Navise.
The primary aim of the visit was to formalise existing collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), expand student and staff exchange programmes, and explore funding opportunities to sustain joint research.
Welcoming the team, Dean of the School of Public Health, Professor Peter Agyei-Baffour, underscored the foundation of the collaboration and the shared vision for future growth.
鈥淭he SPH, through Dr. Daniel Boateng and Dr. Arti Singh, has been working with NWU on several projects and research initiatives. We believe the time has come to get things formalised,鈥 he said.
Dr. Daniel Boateng, a faculty member at SPH, added that the collaboration has already involved co-supervision of students, thesis examinations, and joint research. He noted that the visit aimed to broaden the scope of the partnership.
鈥淲e are currently working with them on hypertension in Africa, but we want to move to a level where we are tackling the larger public health challenges that affect the continent,鈥 he said.
鈥淭hey have a Centre of Excellence in Hypertension that we can learn from. They came not only to engage with the School of Public Health but also to interact with the wider College of Health Sciences.鈥
Prof. Gafane-Matemane stressed the importance of building structured, sustainable partnerships rooted in African-led research and mutual expertise.
鈥淲e believe in cross-supervision and acknowledging the expertise you have in public and global health. Our unit is taking the lead to bring in more African countries, and 黑料网官网 is the best place to start,鈥 she said.
She outlined HART鈥檚 medium- to long-term goals, including the development of joint degree programmes and capacity building in medical research.
鈥淪omething that starts as a collaboration between two people can become something bigger between faculties and universities, and ultimately improve health and science across the continent,鈥 she added.
Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Professor Christian Agyare, expressed full institutional backing for the partnership.
鈥淲e have areas of common interest in research, teaching, and community engagement. Let鈥檚 ensure the MoU leads to real implementation and impact,鈥 he said.
Engaging with the visiting delegation, Dean of the School of Medical Sciences, Professor Akwasi Antwi-Kusi, noted the potential for collaboration in the basic sciences.
鈥淲e are particularly keen to develop PhD programmes in partnership with NWU, building on the strengths we have,鈥 he said.
Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Samuel Asare-Nkansah, also stressed the need for Africa-generated health data.
鈥淲e want data that reflects our reality, to inform clinical decisions relevant to our context. We are happy to come along in areas like hypertension and chronic kidney diseases,鈥 he said.
