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Emeritus Professor Kofi Aidoo gets prestigious UN/WHO appointment
• Emeritus Professor Kofi Aidoo
Emeritus Professor Kofi Aidoo has been appointed to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (JECFA).
The Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS) at Glasgow Caledonian University, will remain on the expert committee of the United Nations in Rome until 2027.
The committee evaluates food additives, contaminants and naturally occurring toxins in food, and residues of veterinary drugs. The committee is made up of international experts from 29 countries, all members of the UN.
At Glasgow Caledonian, Professor Aidoo’s research interests include food safety – chemical, microbiological and physical contaminants – and the nutritional composition of foods.
He has had several research papers published and has contributed to books. He is the co-author of JECFA’s WHO Technical Report Series 1002 on Food Additives, 2017.
SHLS Dean Professor Anita Simmers said: “We are delighted with Professor Emeritus Kofi Aidoo’s prominent appointment. Kofi remains an internationally recognised authority in food bioscience and our staff and students continue to benefit greatly from his research and international networks. Congratulations Kofi, we are all very proud of you in the School!”
SHLS Associate Dean Research Professor Sharron Dolan added her congratulations and praised his “lifelong dedication” to food science.
She said: “Kofi joined GCU founding institution The Queen’s College in 1988, and was integral to establishing and leading Food Science at GCU until his retirement in 2016.
“He has educated and trained scores of GCU graduates, and continues to influence and inspire the next generation of food scientists in his emeritus position.
“It has been a privilege to work with Kofi over the years and I am absolutely delighted to hear of this appointment, a real testimony to his international standing and lifelong dedication to food science.”
Professor Aidoo said the new appointment meant a lot to him and it was “testimony to the research work I have done over the years in an environment conducive to research teaching”.
“By that, I mean GCU created a working environment which enable me to achieve my potential and for that I am grateful to the Head of Department Professor Sharron Dolan, who is now Associate Dean Research, the SHLS Dean Professor Anita Simmers, and the University community,” he said.
Speaking of his new role, Professor Aidoo added: “I hope to be able to contribute effectively to the scientific evaluation of food contaminants, particularly some of the lesser-known food contaminants, which adversely affect human as well as animal health.
“With my background in biochemistry and microbiology, I would be able to assist in the evaluation protocols which set maximum permissible levels of contaminants in foods by FAO/ WHO – standards that would then be adopted by member states of the United Nations.”
Four tricycle operators, popularly known as ‘Pragya’, have been prosecuted and fined GH¢600 each equivalent to 50 penalty units by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court for obstructing public roads at the Agbogbloshie Market.
The offenders, who were arrested by Public Health Officers of the AMA during a routine enforcement exercise, pleaded guilty to the offence and were subsequently convicted by the court.
The four operators were among the 21 offenders recently arrested at the Agbogbloshie Market for various sanitation and public order violations, including selling on open drains, obstructing walkways, and trading at unauthorised locations.
Speaking after the court proceedings, the Head of Public Health at the AMA, Madam Florence Kuukyi, said the court was lenient with the offenders since it was their first appearance, hence the fine, and warned that subsequent offenders would face stiffer penalties, including imprisonment.
The Ghana Police Service has arrested a man believed to be behind a series of robberies and killings of taxi drivers in the Greater Accra Region.
According to a statement from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the suspect, Peter Akakpo, also known as “Dompe,” was arrested on October 13, 2025, at Kasoa-Domeabra.
Police say he is an ex-convict and is believed to have worked with another suspect, Vincent Gbetorglo, who was arrested earlier on June 30, 2025.
The arrests follow investigations into the deaths of two taxi drivers at Sakaman Blue Lagoon on May 9 and June 15, 2025. Police say the suspects contacted the victims before the attacks.
The Anti-Armed Robbery Unit of the CID led the investigation, using intelligence and surveillance to track down the suspects.
Police say efforts are being made to recover the vehicles of the murdered drivers.
The CID assured the public that investigations are still ongoing and promised to provide updates as new information emerges.
By: Jacob Aggrey
