…as it partners with 5 local universities to promote research
By Ernest Bako WUBONTO
Loughborough University (LU), a top 10 tertiary institution in the United Kingdom (UK), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to strengthen industry-academia collaboration while partnering with five local universities to advance research in health and well-being.
The partnership with the Youth Development Ministry seeks to leverage LU’s valuable research expertise to explore issues of youth unemployment and digitalisation with students from Loughborough, bringing on board practical experience to assist industry in solving problems.
The MoU, among others, aims to help in digital skills development, technology transfer and the acquisition of knowledge to prepare Ghanaian youth for global challenges, especially providing young people with sustainable and decent jobs.
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Professor Sam Grogan, made this known during a media roundtable in Accra.
He said the visit to Ghana was part of efforts to strengthen Loughborough University’s links in the West African sub-region, with Ghana and Nigeria as integral partners.
The partnership with the Ghanaian universities, which he described as the beginning of a long collaboration for transformation, begins with five across the country, including the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Health and Allied Sciences, University for Development Studies (UDS) and Ensign College of Public Health.
On her part, Professor of Behavioural Medicine, Loughborough University, Prof. Amanda Daley, highlighted that through the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine & Behaviour (CLiMB) – an initiative aimed at helping the public to live long, healthy and happy lives, LU will provide the resources that bring together the local partner institutions to work collaboratively on key research projects to identify and evaluate innovative health behaviour interventions and policies to prevent and treat chronic diseases.
“Our team brings together experts in behavioural science, clinical medicine and population health to provide solutions to health sector problems. We have a particular focus on developing the next generation of health leaders in the UK and Africa, especially Ghana and Nigeria in West Africa,” she said.
CLiMB Ghana, she said, will be instrumental in bringing together various research institutions under one umbrella to share knowledge, information and expertise to address health-related challenges in the country.
Dr. Daley reiterated that together with partners, it looks forward to providing policy-makers with the evidence they need to improve the health and well-being of the population.
“Our work improves health across generations, from pregnancy through childhood and the teenage years, into adulthood and older age,” she added.
Dr. Hibbah Osei-Kwasi, Lecturer – School of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, said the establishment of the CLiMB Ghana demonstrates their commitment to supporting healthy lives around the world.
She highlighted the need to leverage expertise, particularly in academia, government and communities, to boost socially impactful initiatives.
