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‘Varsity, industry collaboration key to national development’
To manufacture vaccines particularly COVID- 19 products requires huge doses of investment, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Prof. John Owusu Gyapong, has said.
He has established also the critical relationship between science and vaccine development.
Prof. Gyapong made the argument when he delivered a talk on ‘Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on higher education in Ghana: Threats and Opportunities’ at the just -ended 2021University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) Congress at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT),Tarkwa, in the Western Region.
He said, scientists in the universities needed huge investmnts to conduct researches for products,noting that, the United States of America spent huge dollars in such a venture.
This,he explained involved series of trials in communities to erase all reasonable doubts.
Again, Prof. Gyapong said, there was the need to provide protection to the communities,stressing “it’s about billion of dollars.”
To achieve this goal, he encouraged universities in Ghana to collaborate with one another in their research work in this era of science, in order to make the needed impact in the country.
“Many of us like to work in our small corners but this requires that we work together through consortia across the world and even in this country, there is no reason universities should not work closer”. he said.
Prof.Gyapong stated that the COVID-19 pandemic should be a wake -up call for research capabilities, science, technology and innovation systems, manufacturing capabilities, inter-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration through existing consortia.
He said, “Despite innovations made in some universities the scale of collaboration with the industry that takes headline-making innovation beyond the walls of an institution, is conspicuously missing.
“This can provide an opportunity for further validation and a path to widespread adoption and commercialisation.” he told the delegates.
The UHAS Vice Chancellor explained that “When the pandemic broke in Ghana, we met leaders in the educational sector and they gave us all the promises but when the rubber hit the road, we were found wanting.
“We could have thrown our hands in the air and said, we don’t have it, so that is the end.But as university managers, administrators and academia, we have to do the teaching — to get things going.The digital dividehad been a very key transformational issue when it comes to managing COVID in the educational environment.”
According to Prof.Gyapong”even in the event that the COVID-19 pandemic should end, with the kind of infrastructure that we have developed, it would be very unwise to throw away all the online teaching platforms.This requires very good and effective policy.
“The policies that l have seen are not good enough and we need to collaborate as institutions to ensure that we are on top of the issues. Since we are the knowledge hub we can take advantage of the opportunities that come our way to develop science and make sure that we are on top of issues.”
Funding of research in universities, he believed, should not just be a talk it should be materialised and hoped that national research fund would be operationalised so hat researhers can access monies for research across various disciplines.
“The pandemic has really brought a major challenge to the educational institutions. We need to examine and re- consider how we would manage our digital educational system because it is now becoming part of us”
From Clement Adzei Boye, Tarkwa
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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