A cross section of the graduating class. INSET: Some graduating students receiving their certificates
The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has held the first session of its 10th congregation ceremony, graduating 1,374 students from various disciplines and urging them to uphold excellence, integrity and innovation as they transition into professional practice.
The ceremony brought together university leadership, faculty, partners, invited guests and families, who gathered to celebrate academic achievement and the institution’s continued contribution to national and global health development.
The Chairman of the UHAS Governing Council, Professor Kodzo Gavua, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to producing a highly skilled and ethically grounded health workforce. He noted that UHAS continues to provide an academic environment that promotes clinical competence, strong professional ethics and globally competitive expertise.
Prof. Gavua disclosed that since the university’s first graduation in 2016, over 11,000 health professionals have been trained, reflecting UHAS’s growing impact on the national health sector.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Ghana for its support, but appealed for the speedy release of funds to complete key infrastructure projects, including the 5.3km internal road network on the Ho campus, the Central Laboratory Complex and the Fodome Campus for the School of Public Health.
Prof. Gavua urged the graduands to embrace continuous learning and adaptability as essential tools in responding to the rapidly evolving global health landscape.
“Health evolves every day, and the best professionals are those who keep improving, questioning and innovating,” he said.
He reminded the new professionals that their training equips them with a powerful responsibility not only to treat diseases but to transform communities.
“You now hold a weapon, use it not only to treat diseases but to transform lives,” he pointed out.
Prof. Gavua further emphasised that success in healthcare goes beyond professional titles or material gains, stressing the importance of integrity, empathy and courage.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Lydia Aziato, commended the graduating class for demonstrating discipline, resilience and academic excellence throughout their studies. She urged them to remain committed to lifelong learning and stay informed about emerging trends shaping global healthcare.
Prof. Aziato underscored the importance of teamwork and collaboration in health service delivery and research, encouraging the graduands to uphold UHAS’s core values of Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Service and Care.
She announced that the university has secured accreditation for new academic programmes to expand its capacity in emerging areas of health sciences. Under the UHAS–FNBSPH Nkabom Collaborative Project, supported by the MasterCard Foundation, the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health will introduce a Master of Public Health in Nutrition in Maternal and Child Health.
Additional programmes in Health Data Sciences, Chemical Biology, Dietetics and Nutrition, Medical Anthropology and Bachelor of Sonography are progressing through accreditation.
The ceremony also celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of 30 students from the Oncology Nurse Leadership Programme (ONLEP), a postgraduate certificate initiative aimed at strengthening cancer care leadership across Africa. Prof. Aziato described the milestone as a significant contribution to improving oncology services on the continent.
Emeritus Professor Marcel Tanner, former Director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, who was the guest speaker, underscored the urgent need for sustainable global research partnerships to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He emphasised that meaningful cooperation must be rooted in humility, contextual understanding and long-term commitment.
Jerome Mawuli Kwadzo Adorkor from the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences was adjudged the Overall Best Graduating Student.
From Daniel K. Orlando, Ho