The Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund, Justice Amankwa-Mensah has disclosed that the University of Ghana Medical School’s Department of Medical Microbiology has secured a grant to establish a Clinical Centre of Excellence.
This centre will focus on developing vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
This comes in line with the Post Covid-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) which is being funded from a grant facility of US$28.5 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The PSDPEP aims to support Ghana’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 by bolstering the health sector, restoring livelihoods, income, and employment opportunities, and promoting private sector development.
In his address, Justice Amankwa-Mensah disclosed that the project seeks to provide infrastructure and scholarship to train biomedical scientists for enhanced and effective disease prevention.
”As part of the project, the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Ghana Medical School has received a grant to set up a multidisciplinary Clinical Centre of Excellence to discover vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. The project seeks to provide infrastructure and scholarships to train middle and high-level biomedical scientists who will become part of Ghana and West Africa’s workforce for enhanced and effective disease prevention and control.
“A total of ten PhD and ten MPhil students (equal number of males and females), who have completed their course work are being selected for training under the project. The project is therefore looking for highly motivated and qualified students to support their research in the above-mentioned areas.”
Three Ghanaian PhD students, including one female, have received a $35,000 research grant each from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to research vaccines therapies, and diagnoses to combat emerging infectious diseases
He further revealed that three Ghanaian PhD students have been granted an award of scholarship by the African Development Bank to research vaccine therapies, and diagnosis to combat emerging infectious diseases.
”I am happy to say that the first call for Research grants has been completed, and three (3)PhD students, comprising 2 males and one female, have been selected for award of scholarships to be used for bench work or discovery research. The grants will support innovative research to develop vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics using synthetic peptides, monoclonal antibodies, and natural products.”
Meanwhile, the Project Lead of Post Covid-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) and a Professor at the University of Ghana Medical Microbiology, Rev. Professor Kwamena Sagoe express his gratitude to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for granting the student this opportunity and therefore believe that they would make good use of it.
“We are grateful to AfDB through Ghana Agency to the government of Ghana for giving us this opportunity. PhD is a tough thing to do and something when you are going to defend or do something you ask yourself whether you will pass.”
“People spent weeks dreaming whether they will succeed, it is hard work and there is no shortcut to achieving the success that you want especially when your hard work is to discover something or to get something probably translational that can be used. That gives you a bigger version and I trust that you will be able to do it in the Lord’s hands.”
BACKGROUND
The Government of Ghana has entered a 5-year partnership with the AfDB for a PSDPEP, backed by a $28.5 million grant. The initiative aims to aid Ghana’s post-COVID-19 recovery in health and private sector development. Key objectives involve boosting healthcare skills at the University of
Ghana and fostering entrepreneurship among youth and women.
The project comprises two technical components and one for project management, with the Ministry of Finance overseeing execution and the SIF managing implementation.
PARP, a research centre at the University of Ghana, is offering scholarships for 20 postgraduate students comprising ten (10) MPhil and ten (10) PhD students including students from Ghana and the West African sub-region for MPhil and PhD in discovery research.
The initial phase has selected three PhD students, focusing on synthetic peptides, antibodies, and natural products.
Eligibility criteria include a 2nd class upper degree, innovative research proposals, and West African citizenship, and must not be older than 40 years old (MPhil) and 50 years old (PhD by the end of the first year of research. Women, individuals with special needs, and those employed by universities or research institutions are strongly encouraged to apply via the submission portal or email.
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