Dr Benjamin Kissi Sasu, an alumnus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST), has secured two travel grants to present research on antibiotic resistance in Ghanaian poultry production at conferences in Greece and the Philippines.

The study examined antibiotic resistance patterns in Escherichia coli and Salmonella species from broiler farms and compared antimicrobial stewardship practices among poultry farmers in three regions of Ghana. It explored the implications of antimicrobial use for food safety and the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) of the United Kingdom supported the research. The work had the technical contributions of Prof. Joseph Atalwana & Prof. Faleke Olufemi Oladayo of KNUST School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr Sasu presented the study at the eighth Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians in Athens, Greece, from 19 to 21 October 2026, where he was the only Ghanaian and the only participant from Africa.

The congress brings together veterinary laboratory specialists, researchers and manufacturers of diagnostic equipment. Its programme includes presentations on new technologies, scientific discussions and an exhibition of laboratory tools designed to improve the quality and speed of testing.

The second grant will support Dr Sasu’s participation in the 34th International Congress of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, scheduled for 7 to 9 December 2026 in Manila, the Philippines, where he is due to present the same study.

Dr Sasu is Deputy Head of the National Food Safety Laboratory, which serves as an antimicrobial resistance reference laboratory for animal health. He is also a Fleming Fellow in antimicrobial resistance.

His research is titled “Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. from Broiler Farms and a Comparative Assessment of Antimicrobial Stewardship among Farmers in Three Regions of Ghana”.

He previously delivered an oral presentation on the study at the third Biennial Postgraduate Conference of KNUST’s College of Health Sciences in June 2026.

The research is also scheduled for presentation at the 2026 Annual Research Meeting of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana in November.