The Bahamas High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Andrew Wilson, has met with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, to express his intention of establishing and strengthening ties with the University of Ghana.
In his remarks during a courtesy call, H.E. Andrew Wilson echoed the importance of connecting investors with entrepreneurs and contributing to higher education and resources at UG.
H.E. Andrew Wilson announced that the Bahamas Government established diplomatic relations with Ghana for the first time about a year ago, and that since his appointment as the Bahamas' first High Commissioner to Ghana, his office has established a visa waiver agreement. He also mentioned ongoing educational collaborations, with the hope of facilitating the signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of the Bahamas and the University of Ghana.
His Excellency Andrew Wilson (right)
He additionally highlighted a meeting with Professor Jonathan Quartey, Head of Health Professions Education Unit, in the Department of Physiotherapy, UG, where they discussed ways to strengthen ties, particularly in healthcare. Additionally, opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs to collaborate with Ghanaian micro-entrepreneurs, are being discussed thereby enhancing Ghana's development through value addition to raw materials.
H.E. Wilson indicated his strong commitment to partnerships and encouraged the pursuit of mutual objectives with the Bahamas.
In welcoming H.E Wilson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo expressed her enthusiasm about potential collaborations in higher education, innovation and entrepreneurship between the Bahamas and Ghana.
Highlighting the importance of active faculty involvement for successful collaborations, the Vice-Chancellor encouraged units, especially the International Programmes Office (IPO), to coordinate the partnership efforts.
She stressed the need for tangible results beyond the signing of MoUs, suggesting that online meetings with the University of the Bahamas' faculty could help identify and pursue key areas of collaboration.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
‘‘I am not interested in merely signing MoUs; I want to see tangible, collaborative work between our universities. Therefore, I urge the Dean of International Programmes to serve as a coordinating point to make substantive progress, by connecting with faculty at the University of the Bahamas.”
The Deans and Heads from the College of Health Sciences in attendance expressed their excitement about the collaboration and assured all of their participation and cooperation to make an impact in the university.
There were also discussions around exploring the traditional medicine area. Adding to the conversation, Professor Eric Osei-Assibey, Dean of International Programmes Office, explained that, "there are only a few researchers in this area. While it's not an established unit within our institution, we do have some people, including myself, who have written papers on traditional medicine.’’
He concluded by saying that the field of traditional medicine still remains an area of opportunity hence the need to form partnerships with relevant stakeholders.
Some Deans and Directors present
Also at the meeting were, Prof. Florence Naab, Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery; Prof. Samuel Antwi Baffour, Dean of the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences and Mrs. Elizier Ameyaw-Buronyah, Director, Public Affairs Directorate, who moderated the meeting.
