UHAS-Nkabom Project: A $9.8m vision to transform public health, tackle unemployment, and end malnutrition – Nsemkeka
In what is being described as a historic milestone for higher education and public health in Ghana, the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH) at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has secured a $9.8 million grant over the next decade from the MasterCard Foundation.
The UHAS-Nkabom initiative is poised to revolutionise graduate employability, promote sustainable job creation, and confront deeply rooted public health challenges like malnutrition.
Addressing a capacity-building workshop for journalists at S5 Hotel in Hohoe in the Volta region, Principal Investigator of the UHAS-Nkabom Project and Dean of FNBSPH, Prof. Frank Baiden, painted a bold and inspiring vision for the future. At the heart of this vision is the Akam word Nkabom, meaning “togetherness”—which anchors the partnership between seven Ghanaian institutions and McGill University of Canada.
“Nkabom ma yetimi,” Prof Baiden emphasised. “Together, makes things possible.”
A Watershed Moment for UHAS
The funding marks a transformative chapter in the 12-year history of UHAS and its public health school. Prof Baiden paid heartfelt tribute to Emeritus Prof Fred Binka, whose strategic partnerships helped secure FNBSPH’s place in the prestigious consortium.
“This award is a dream realised,” Prof Baiden said. “For a young institution, sustainable funding for long-term programmes is rare. This grant is not only a major milestone. It is a call to action.”
Tackling Graduate Unemployment through Innovation
A central pillar of the Nkabom project is to directly confront the growing problem of graduate unemployment. “It is a tragedy when a student sacrifices four years or more, often with great cost to themselves and their families, only to graduate into joblessness,” Prof Baiden stated passionately.
To reverse this trend, FNBSPH is revamping its curriculum to emphasise practical, hands-on skills and entrepreneurial thinking. The school is aiming for a 50:50 balance between theory and practical training, preparing students to not just seek jobs, but to create them, particularly in high-impact sectors like agribusiness.
Spotlight on Malnutrition: A Silent Emergency
In a sobering turn, Prof Baiden highlighted one of Ghana’s most under-recognised public health challenges: childhood stunting. “Stunting is not just about physical height. It is a crisis of mental development, poor academic performance, and lifelong vulnerability to chronic disease,” he explained. Despite affecting 16% of Ghanaian children under five, with some regions facing rates as high as 30%, stunting remains an invisible issue in policy discourse.
The Nkabom project will fund community-based research aimed at developing scalable interventions to combat malnutrition and stunted growth, critical steps toward securing Ghana’s future human capital.
A Call for Action in Hohoe
Prof Baiden ended his address with a heartfelt appeal to the media, stakeholders, and the general public to visit the abandoned permanent campus site of UHAS in Fodome. “Space is constraining the development of the Hohoe campus. We are asking you to use your pens, voices, and cameras to bring national attention to this stalled project,” he urged.
A Future Built on Nkabom
As Ghana stands at the crossroads of youth unemployment, underfunded institutions, and silent public health crises, the UHAS-Nkabom partnership emerges not just as a grant but as a movement.
It is a powerful example of how strategic collaboration, anchored in cultural values of unity, can unlock the potential of both people and institutions.
With bold leadership, sustainable funding, and community-centred action, UHAS is writing a new story—one where together, indeed, makes things possible.