Global Lab Network to Host Three Experts to Discuss the Role of R&D in Ghana’s Development
Global Lab Network is pleased to announce its final Science Cafe of the year. The event will be held online on Friday 17 December at 6:15 PM GMT under the theme The Role of Research and Development (R&D) in Ghana’s National Development.
The goal of the December 2021 edition of Science Cafe is to explore the current state of the R&D / technological sector in Ghana, as a transformative force in Africa’s development goals, with the help of key experts in academia and industry. The session will begin with a presentation by Leo Ayerakwa, FRSB, followed by a moderated discussion also featuring Professor Marian Nkansah and Dr Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, and conclude with an open discussion and Q&A session with all participants present.
The keynote Speaker, Mr Leo Ayerakwa has played a variety roles in medicines, pharmaceuticals and biomedical R&D over a 25-year career within the global pharmaceutical industry, graduating from University College, London (UCL), School of Pharmacy, University of London, and following post-graduate studies from universities in the UK.
He is currently serving as a Senior Manager, Regulatory Strategy & Preclinical Sciences Expert in the Oncology Business Group at Eisai Pharma Europe Ltd, UK with a broad therapeutic area experience in cancer, neurology, metabolic & cardiovascular diseases, having previously had a spell as a visiting professor on the Neuroscience MSc. course, Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Leo is a UK/EU board-certified toxicologist, advises biotech companies as a consultant, and was recently elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology, UK.
Prof. Marian Asantewah Nkansah is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, where she obtained her BSc. and MSc. degrees. She holds a PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Bergen-Norway.
Prof. Nkansah’s research span a wide range of fields including finding solutions to environmental problems associated with levels and fate of toxic substances like heavy/trace metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different environmental matrices. She has quite a number of peer reviewed articles and books to her credit.
Prof. Nkansah has received training in Science Diplomacy and Science Advice for Policy. She has been on both national and international platforms where science is discussed for better public understanding. She is a thought leader and motivational speaker.
Prof. Nkansah is a member of the Global Young Academy, an affiliate of TWAS and AAS, a member of the Ghana Young Academy and fellow of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF). She is the inaugural recipient of the TWAS F.M Al-Kharafi Prize and the 2021 winner of the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award for Women Scientists. She is the immediate Past Warden of Africa Hall of KNUST, a member of the Women in STEM Ghana group and is committed to the mentorship of younger females in their pursuit of STEM fields, and serves as a role model for young girls at the basic level of their education. She was recently selected to join the Executive Committee of the International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD) scheduled for June, 2022 to June, 2023. She enjoys teaching, storytelling, travelling and hiking.
Kwame Sarpong Asiedu is a Pharmacist whose pharmaceutical career spans over 22 years and has included stints in academia with universities in Ghana and the United Kingdom, as well as leadership roles with Boots UK Limited and Lexden Healthcare at the regional and global level.
He is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana as well as the Institute of Pharmacy Management International. He is also a Democracy and Development Fellow in Health with the Ghana Centre for Democracy and Development.
An accomplished Public Speaker, Kwame is passionate about public interest advocacy and the improvement of healthcare access across Ghana and the West African sub-region.
Some of the issues to be explored during the session include how to strengthen the R&D capacity in Ghana, determining the role of the private sector in building the R&D ecosystem, examining the progress of the proposed national research fund.
Science Cafe is a knowledge exchange and networking platform that connects scientists, innovators, and the general public, to promote community dialogue and scientific inquiry in informal venues such as coffee houses, bookstores, restaurants, bars, and online. Global Lab Network has organised 10 Science Cafes since 2018 featuring talks from researchers and innovators in public health, technology, mathematics, biotechnology, WASH, urban planning, environmental science, and public policy. These conversations have been useful in re-emphasising the importance of science, technology, and innovation to national development, and also helping to bridge the gap between science and society.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Science Cafe. To join this session kindly register at https://forms.gle/3QXuiVgeYVWuPMGF8.