Southampton strengthens relationship with the University of Ghana

The University of Southampton has strengthened its relationship with Ghana’s largest university.

Representatives from the University of Ghana, led by Professor Samuel Kwame Offei, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic & Student Affairs, recently spent a full and productive day in Southampton culminating with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions.

Southampton’s President and Vice-Chancellor (Interim), Professor Mark Spearing, who joined Professor Offei in signing the MoU, said: “There are many long-standing bonds between our two universities and I hope that we are able to achieve even more as partners going forward together.”

Professor Offei spoke of the great possibilities and opportunities ahead for the two universities: “This MoU will further deepen the relationship that has already been initiated and further expand the scope of our engagement. We look forward to a very productive relationship and a strong partnership.”

Southampton’s current activities with the University of Ghana include:

• Professor Simon Coles from the School of Chemistry has been working with the Dean of Science on a range of projects which recently culminated in a an international conference in January at the University of Ghana, one theme of which concerned the establishment of an African Synchrotron facility;
• Researchers led by Professor Justin Sheffield (Geography and the Environment) have been awarded £5.8 million for four years (2018-2021) by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) for the Building Research Capacity for sustainable water and food security In drylands of sub-saharan Africa (BRECcIA) project, which focuses on building capacity for research in water and food security, including access to water supplies, management of water and agriculture and the use of technological interventions in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi;
• Research collaborations between the ResIn research group in the Clinical Informatics Research Unit (CIRU), Faculty of Medicine and University of Ghana, have focused on infectious diseases.  The group recently published its findings on pneumonia and malaria research funding across the sub-Saharan Africa, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. CIRU also led a priority-setting exercise for research in Ghana that included representation from the University of Ghana, Ministry of Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences and the Ghana Health Service;
• Dr Michael Head (Faculty of Medicine) has also been awarded two GCRF awards with University of Ghana and the Ghana Health Service (Public Health) to run pilot projects related to infectious diseases research.

The University of Ghana was founded in 1948 and is one of three African members of the World Universities Network made up of 19 universities - including Southampton - spanning 11 countries on five continents.