This pledge was reinforced during a visit by the Secretariat Director of the Nkabom Collaborative, Pierre Brunache to assess the progress made by the six partner institutions in the collaborative. It was also to strengthen ties central to the success of UG Nkabom. The strategic engagement between the Secretariat Director and dean of the School of Public Health (SPH) Professor Kwasi Torpey, was attended by SPH faculty, staff, and key officials of UG Nkabom.

Among other discussions, the meeting focused on the imminent roll-out of a PhD Programme, a key component of the Collaborative’s efforts to develop a corps of highly skilled researchers and practitioners equipped to advance Ghana’s agrifood and public health systems.

In a brief address, the Collaborative lead of UG Nkabom, Professor Richmond Aryeetey acknowledged the School’s role in accelerating the implementation of the PhD Programme. “This swift and collaborative effort in developing the curriculum and pushing forward with the accreditation process is most commendable,” he observed.

Given that the proposed PhD Programme comes with scholarships and funding, Professor Aryeetey stressed that the Programme was “now strategically positioned to attract a larger, and more inclusive pool of qualified students who would benefit from rigorous academic training, research support, and industry exposure.

On his part, the dean of the School of Public Health, Professor Kwasi Torpey, expressed readiness to host the PhD programme in its interim phase until the proposed UG Nkabom Centre was fully operational. He was optimistic about the potential of the collaboration to not only expand training capacity but also enhance inclusivity across Ghana’s higher education landscape. Professor Torpey urged the Nkabom Team “to access the Graduate School portal and process all necessary documentation immediately to minimise any potential delays" as a critical move to secure the academic pipeline for these target groups. 

Beyond these, several action points were identified as critical to ensuring the inclusive vision was successfully implemented. These included strengthening supervision for PhD students and introducing short courses to enhance research capacity and employability.

About UG Nkabom Collaborative

UG Nkabom is a decade-long initiative by the University of Ghana in partnership with McGill University and the Mastercard Foundation, seeking to transform Ghana’s agri-food systems by placing youth at the centre of education, entrepreneurship, and employment creation. Structured around three core pillars—Education, Entrepreneurship, and Access & Success—UG Nkabom combines hands-on learning, business incubation, and targeted inclusion for women, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons. In reaffirming its commitment to inclusive education, the Collaborative has set an ambitious target to train 25 PhD students, while introducing a Master’s programme as a pipeline to advanced research and leadership in the agri-food sector.