The Mastercard Foundation Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, held a comprehensive weeklong training course for ninety-three (93) healthcare professionals in Ghana. The programme held between 13th to 17th May 2024, at the Noda Hotel in Kumasi is to foster advancements in healthcare delivery within the Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole.
The courses included Health Technology Assessment (HTA), Primary Healthcare Financing and Healthcare Industry and Regulatory Affairs (HIRA). The weeklong training programme was under the auspices of the Health Employment Pillar of the Collaborative led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah. The training, accredited by various health professional bodies for Continuous Professional Development (CPD), aims to equip participants with the skills to critically assess health technologies and navigate regulatory frameworks.

During the opening ceremony of the training programme, the Deputy Rector of MountCrest University College, Ghana, Dr. Samuel Akortey Akor, underscored the importance of active participation in the effective delivery of healthcare in Ghana. Sharing his experience as the former Executive Secretary of Ghana’s Health Insurance Scheme, Dr. Akor bemoaned the centralisation of the Scheme, emphasising the necessity of decentralisation to empower citizens to actively contribute to healthcare decisions, shifting away from passive recipient roles.
“As we embark on these short courses, we need to evaluate whether the financing of our healthcare can become a catalyst to achieving Universal healthcare coverage. We need to design the system in a way that people would participate in the provision of healthcare. We think it is only about financing, but we need the people’s involvement to tell us from time to time what they need from us. Where is the forum where they can articulate their views?” he questioned.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana, Dr. (Mrs.) Mimi Darko advocated for the assessment of the efficient use of resources through the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) for improved healthcare delivery in developing countries because of the increasing reliance on technology in Ghana’s healthcare landscape. She added that HTA serves as a compass for efficient utilisation of resources to ensure that Universal healthcare delivery is achieved.
She highlighted HTA's role in navigating evolving healthcare demands, particularly in resource-constrained settings. “In our pursuit of meeting the demands of evolving trends, particularly in technology and assistive devices, the importance of Health Technology Assessment cannot be overemphasised. Especially in developing countries where resources are often scarce, efficient allocation is paramount,” she said.
Dr (Mrs.) Darko also touched on the role of health regulation in fulfilling the SDGs. She was confident the course content would shed light on the vital role of regulatory issues in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Principal Investigator of the Collaborative, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo urged participants to leverage their newfound knowledge and opportunities available to effect positive change within their communities, thereby advancing the shared goal of enhancing Universal healthcare delivery. “You are here to build and strengthen your capacity to have all the skills and competencies to advance in healthcare delivery,” he said.
The partners in the training programme included KNUST School of Public Health, the DAAD-PAGEL (German Academic Exchange Service Partnership for the Health Sector in Developing Countries) Accelerating Capacity-Building in Health Systems Research and Management in Africa Project, and the German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC).
The rest are the Department of Health Care Management at the Technische Universitat Berlin (TUB), Germany, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway, and the HTA Secretariat of the Ministry of Health, Ghana.
Thirty-one (31) and thirty-two (32) health personnel enrolled in the Primary Healthcare Financing course and the HTA course respectively, while thirty (30) participants in the HIRA course. These collaborative efforts seek to cultivate a team of professionals capable of driving impactful change in Ghana’s healthcare landscape.