By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Nov. 9, GNA – The West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) has inaugurated the WAGMC’s Genomic Medicine Building at the University of Ghana to enhance learning and research.
The $1.5 million WAGMC building complex offers a 2,800 square meter working space, including 220 square meter open laboratory, 200-seater auditorium, a biorepository, multiple smart classrooms, a genetic counselling clinic, a graduate room, a boardroom, and administrative and faculty offices.
The building was funded by the Government through the World Bank’s Africa Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE IMPACT) Project.
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, speaking at the inauguration of the facility commended Prof. Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, the Director of the Centre and the hardworking team behind this project right from conceptualization until completion for a good work done.
She said the completion of the building was a major milestone towards the accomplishment of the Centre’s goal of becoming a global hub for genomics training and research in Africa.
WAGMC is an Africa Higher Education Centre of Excellence (ACE) in the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana.
She commended Prof Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, the Director of the Centre and the hardworking team behind this project right from conceptualization until completion for a good work done.
The Vice-Chancellor said WAGMC’s operations cover three core areas: development of postgraduate programmes, research in genetics and community engagement.
She said WAGMC developed and offered the first and only MSc Genetic Counselling programme in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2021 and the programme provided in-depth genetics knowledge and communication skills for patient care.
“In addition to the genetic counselling programme, the Centre has also developed MPhil and PhD programmes in Medical Molecular Genetics, which have been reviewed and approved at the University level and currently undergoing accreditation at the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission,” she added.
She said WAGMC also offered short courses to provide continuous professional development to healthcare practitioners in genetics.
This includes Genetic Education and Counselling for Sickle Cell Conditions and the Allied Health Genomics.
The Vice-Chancellor in research, WAGMC was home to the SickleGenAfrica Network, a flagship Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) project and the largest SCD cohort study globally, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
She said the University of Ghana was proud of the niche WAGMC was creating for itself as a beacon of excellence in the study of genomics not only in Ghana but within the sub-region.
“At its core, this research Centre embodies our university’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge knowledge and solving the challenges of our time,” she added.
Prof Amfo said this was a space where curiosity would be nurtured, questions would be asked, and answers would be found.
“It is a space where bold ideas will take root and grow into solutions that will have real-world impact,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor said the completion of the project was testament to the power of engagement and partnership and would contribute tremendously to the realization of the University’s strategic priorities particularly transformative student experience, impactful research, engagement and partnerships.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, said the President would be appointing the first CEO of the National Research Fund and when that was done “we will create an environment where your work can be supported with funds from the government.”
He called on the leadership of the Centre to facilitate a special outreach event for the young ones, which would inspire them to dream of the best for their future.
He said new courses were being introduced so that the country could be part of the fourth industrial revolution and currently students had begun a course in biomedical sciences in high school, and they belong to the Centre.
He commended the Director of the Centre for his leadership, the Vice-Chancellor, for giving him the freedom to do the work that he did.
Prof. Ofori-Acquah said the Building was a cross-cutting platform to promote education, training, research and community engagement.
Since its inception, WAGMC had demonstrated commitment to improving access to genetic health in Ghana through community engagement.
In 2020, the Centre provided free genetic testing and screening for over 2,000 people in the Eastern Region of Ghana in collaboration with the Okyenhene Osagyefuo Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin.
He said the Centre had, since 2022, expanded its free genetic screening and testing coverage nationwide under the Ghanaian Genome (GhGenome) project in collaboration with several other traditional rulers in the Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Volta and Upper East Regions of Ghana.
He said the Centre had provided graduate fellowships in the form of Masters, PhD and also given out laptops, travel and top-up fellowships within a five-year period to 173 beneficiaries amounting to 1,242,500 dollars.
GNA