The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), working through the Türkiye Embassy in Ghana, has donated 11 high-tech microscopes to the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
This support came in response to requests from students and department alumni aiming to bolster the university’s laboratory facilities for training health professionals.
The donation, consisting of two advanced Olympus CX33 microscopes and nine Olvmous 23 microscopes, will allow students hands-on experience in cell and organism identification, critical for developing diagnostic skills. Türkiye’s Ambassador to Ghana, Hüseyin Güngör, emphasized TIKA’s commitment to Ghana’s development, highlighting that the initiative “reflects TIKA’s focus on human-centric approaches and responding to community needs.” He noted, “The embassy’s support in facilitating this collaboration showcases the importance of partnerships for community and human development.”
Ambassador Güngör also referenced the embassy’s scholarship program, which offers students from Ghana and other countries the opportunity to study in Türkiye, covering competitive fields such as medicine, engineering, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
Professor Alfred Edwin Yawson, Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, expressed gratitude, stating that the high-tech microscopes enhance teaching, allowing images to be projected for more effective learning. “This technology strengthens our teaching capacity and impacts students, producing well-trained professionals to serve the population,” Prof. Yawson said. He also highlighted ongoing equipment needs, such as chemistry analyzers, appealing to other organizations for support.
The initiative was spearheaded by alumni, with project initiator Gideon Frederick Owusu sharing his motivation to address equipment shortages he experienced as a student. He acknowledged the contributions of his colleagues and the support from TIKA and Ambassador Güngör, noting that this donation will improve the training of scientists in areas like parasite and microbial detection.