WAGMC Genomic Medicine Building Inaugurated to Enhance Learning and Research.

Accra: The West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) has inaugurated the WAGMC's Genomic Medicine Building at the University of Ghana to enhance learning and research. The $1.5 million WAGMC building complex offers a 2,800 square meter working space, including a 220 square meter open laboratory, a 200-seater auditorium, a biorepository, multiple smart classrooms, a genetic counselling clinic, a graduate room, a boardroom, and administrative and faculty offices. The building was funded by the Government through the World Bank's Africa Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE IMPACT) Project.According to Ghana News Agency, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, commended Prof. Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, the Director of the Centre, and the team behind this project from conceptualization to completion for their efforts. She noted that the completion of the building was a significant milestone towards the Centre's goal of becoming a global hub for genomics training a nd research in Africa. WAGMC is an Africa Higher Education Centre of Excellence (ACE) in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana.The Vice-Chancellor highlighted WAGMC's focus on three core areas: the development of postgraduate programmes, research in genetics, and community engagement. She mentioned that WAGMC developed and offered the first MSc Genetic Counselling programme in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2021, providing in-depth genetics knowledge and communication skills for patient care. In addition, the Centre has developed MPhil and PhD programmes in Medical Molecular Genetics, which have been reviewed and approved at the University level and are currently undergoing accreditation at the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.WAGMC also provides short courses for continuous professional development in genetics for healthcare practitioners, such as Genetic Education and Counselling for Sickle Cell Conditions and Allied Health Genomics. In terms of research, WAGMC hosts the SickleGenAfrica Network, a flagship Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) project and the largest SCD cohort study globally, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Vice-Chancellor expressed pride in the niche WAGMC is creating as a beacon of excellence in genomics studies within Ghana and the sub-region.Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, announced that the President would appoint the first CEO of the National Research Fund, creating an environment where the Centre's work can be supported with government funds. He urged the Centre's leadership to facilitate outreach events for young people to inspire them for the future. New courses are being introduced so that the country can participate in the fourth industrial revolution, with students already beginning a course in biomedical sciences in high school affiliated with the Centre.Prof. Ofori-Acquah stated that the new building is a cross-cutting platform to promote education, training, research, and community engagement. Since its inception, WAGMC has dem onstrated a commitment to improving access to genetic health in Ghana through community engagement. In 2020, the Centre provided free genetic testing and screening for over 2,000 people in the Eastern Region of Ghana in collaboration with Okyenhene Osagyefuo Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin. Since 2022, the Centre has expanded its free genetic screening and testing coverage nationwide under the Ghanaian Genome (GhGenome) project in collaboration with several traditional rulers in various regions of Ghana. Additionally, the Centre has provided graduate fellowships amounting to 1,242,500 dollars to 173 beneficiaries over five years.