Founding Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awandare, has highlighted the importance of the Centre’s annual research conference in shaping public health policy and promoting innovative scientific solutions to health challenges.
His comments follow the 2026 WACCBIP Research Conference, held from July 29 to July 31, which brought together researchers, emerging scientists, policymakers and industry partners to share knowledge and explore solutions to challenges affecting healthcare delivery in Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prof. Awandare said the conference, which has been held annually for the past 10 years, has provided a platform for researchers from WACCBIP and its partner institutions to produce evidence-based research addressing real-world health challenges.
He added that the conference has also helped strengthen the link between academia and industry by creating opportunities for scientific findings to be translated into practical solutions.
“The annual WACCBIP Research Conference has become a strong platform for unearthing innovative scientific solutions to underlying issues in Africa’s public health system and helping to project world-class research by our faculty and students in bridging the gap between industry and academia.”
“On this esteemed platform, there are several cases of solutions developed in-house to tackle the spread of malaria, the seminal findings into what caused the endemic spread of deafness in the community of Adamorobe in the Greater Accra Region, as well as other bodies of work that have contributed significantly to transforming theoretical knowledge into real-world solutions across the continent,” he said.
Prof. Awandare further revealed that WACCBIP intends to expand the reach and impact of the conference both locally and internationally.
“We are looking forward to bringing in more mileage both locally and internationally to enhance the visibility of the conference as a one-stop shop that brings together respected researchers and policymakers, as well as budding scientists, to work together to develop more projects that turn into significant agents of change in the field of science and technology over the long term,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chairperson for the occasion and Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said WACCBIP has played a significant role in bridging the gap between academia and industry through research and innovation.
She commended the Centre for producing scientific discoveries that have contributed to addressing public health challenges while reducing reliance on solutions developed outside Africa.
“The University of Ghana is very proud of the excellent achievements of WACCBIP over the past years of its existence as a centre of excellence for research and innovation, which trains the next generation of African scientists to help deal with the emerging problems in the medical and allied fields,” she said.
Prof. Amfo also noted that the annual conference has provided a platform for renowned scientists from Ghana and abroad to share research findings aimed at addressing challenges in disease prevention and healthcare.
“The centre has been consistent in projecting its flagship Research Conference for 10 years to pool together renowned scientists from both home and abroad to present findings from world-class research work aimed at tackling the day-to-day challenges identified in the disease prevention and medical fields as a key step to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the world of work,” she added.
She further assured WACCBIP of the university’s commitment to providing the necessary resources to support its research and innovation agenda.
“Under my leadership as the Vice Chancellor, the main aim is to provide the Centre with all the resources in terms of human resource and finance, in collaboration with donor partners, to keep the enviable position of dictating research and innovation at home and abroad whilst shaking the field of medicine and allied sciences in the coming years,” she stated.
The three-day conference featured keynote presentations, plenary sessions, poster presentations and panel discussions on key issues relating to the conference theme.
It also brought together participants from academic and research institutions in Ghana and across the continent, as well as strategic private-sector partners, to discuss emerging issues in health, disease and scientific innovation.
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Story by Sika Togoh | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
