The Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, has inaugurated a thirteen-member Advisory Board for the College of Health Sciences (CHS) Endowment Fund. The thirteen members comprising alumni and other eminent professionals in the health and other sectors will help advise, raise funds, and oversee the operations of the CHS Endowment Fund among others as stated in their terms of reference.
Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo administered the oath of office to the members of the CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board and read to the members, their terms of reference. The CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board has the Former Director of the Ghana Law School, Lawyer Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, and the Special Advisor on Health, Office of the President, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare as Co-Chairmen.
The members of the Board are the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Centre for Health Development and Research, Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi, CEO of MDS-Lancet, Dr. Paul Sekyere Nyantakyi, CEO of Ernest Chemist Ltd., Ernest Bediako Sampong, CEO of Entrance Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Samuel Amo Tobbin and CEO of Kinapharma Pharmaceutical Ltd., Kofi Nsiah-Poku. Other Members are the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, CEO of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, CEO of Alisa Hotel, Dr. Kwame Ofosu Bamfo and CEO and Founder of Family Link Money Transfer Inc., Dr. Barima Kwabena Owusu Dapaah.
Professor Ellis Owusu Dabo expressed management’s gratitude to members for responding to the call of the University to serve on the Board. He was confident that with the composition of the Board, they could exceed management’s expectations and go beyond the College.
Professor Owusu Dabo stated that there is no way, the Fund will not thrive, considering their expertise and achievements. He reminded them that the core mandate of the University is to teach, conduct research, and render service to the community.
In that light, all their actions should be guided by it, bearing in mind the vision of the University. The Pro Vice-Chancellor also emphasised the importance of the Board since the government’s subvention alone is inadequate in running and developing the University.
In his address, the Provost of the CHS, Professor Christian Agyare, stated that since he assumed office, the College has continued to engage in efforts aimed at improving the finances of the College. The CHS Endowment Fund is a response to a call by management for each College in the University to establish one.
The Endowment Fund is focused on creating opportunities to retain Health Sciences graduates in Ghana to ameliorate some of the developmental challenges confronting the health sector of Ghana. According to Professor Agyare the CHS Endowment Fund seeks to promote the training of health professionals of high quality, to undertake health research, especially investigating local diseases, to provide scholarships for graduate and undergraduate training, and to procure essential equipment and tools for research related to graduate training for health professionals.
He also thanked the members of the CHS Endowment Fund Advisory Board for agreeing to serve on the Board to improve the fortunes of the College. Lawyer Maxwell Opoku Agyemang on behalf of members of the Board thanked management of the University for accepting them to serve the University.
He pledged that they would work to improve fundraising and management and projects in the College.