ACEPHA Trains 274 African Population Health Professionals
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Prof.Hadiza Galadanci, Director of the Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHA),Bayero University Kano (BUK),says the centre has trained over 274 health professionals on population health from various African countries.
Galadanchi disclosed this at BUK’s first international conference on population health, themed: “Resilience and Optimization:Building Sustainable Population Health in Africa” holding in Kano on Tuesday.
The conference brought together experts from around the world to discuss critical health challenges facing the African continent.
She said ACEPHA has introduced five new postgraduate programmes, including PhDs in Public Health, and had made significant research breakthroughs in areas like anemia during pregnancy ¹ ².
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of BUK, Prof. Sagir Abbas, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Sani M. Gumel, emphasized the conference’s significance in improving the general health status of the people.
Abbas said the conference aimed to facilitate international development in the health sector, exchanging ideas and experiences to achieve set objectives.
Prof. Abdulrahman Abba Sheshe, Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, expressed hope that the conference would refine research modalities to improve public health.
Declaring the conference open,Gov. Abba Yusuf commended BUK and ACEPHA for organizing the conference, emphasizing the importance of addressing population health challenges in Africa.
Represented by his Deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, Yusuf
said the State Government was collaborating with ACEPHA and had engaged in various health interventions, one of which was the Kano State Surveillance for Evidence and Policy (KASSEP) Project which aimed to institutionalize Sample Registration System (SRS).
“As well as understand the causes and factors associated with Maternal deaths and still birth to provide us with insights on programmrs to inform our policy decisions.
“It is worth mentioning that, in Kano State, we recognize that health is not merely the absence of disease, but a holistic state of well-being encompassing physical, mental, and social dimensions.
“As we continue to pursue sustainable development, it is imperative that we make informed policy decisions based on solid research and data.
“The work being done at the African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy is vital in this regard, empowering practitioners, policymakers, and researchers with the knowledge they need to drive positive change,” he added.
