The Council of the Federation of African Medical Physics Organizations (FAMPO) has selected Ghana as the host country for its Secretariat.

The decision, which received unanimous endorsement from the 30 African national member organisations, was announced on April 28, 2021, during the Council’s Extraordinary Meeting, held via a virtual platform.

The core mandate of the Secretariat will be to coordinate activities of the Federation in ensuring the promotion of medical physics in Africa.

FAMPO is a regional federation of the International Organizations for Medical Physics (IOMP) in Africa, established in 2009 to ensure high professional standards among national member organizations, promote collaboration and innovation through partnerships with organizations and academia, and promote talent, information, and ideas that lead to great advances in the medical application of radiation.

National member organizations of FAMPO include Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, and Mauritania.

The rest are Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

According to the Vice President of the Executive Committee of FAMPO, Dr. Francis Hasford, Ghana got the nod from national member organisations because of its exceptional achievements in education, training, and professional practice of Medical Physics.

“The immense contribution of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in this regard cannot go unmentioned,” he added.

Dr. Hasford, who is also the Head of the Medical Physics Department at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), explained that Ghana being named as the host of the Medical Physics Secretariat in the African Region, was a confirmation of the country becoming a regional hub for Medical Physics.

“It is highly anticipated that the placement of the FAMPO Secretariat in Ghana will further contribute to attracting Medical Physics students from other African countries to study at SNAS and also attract key projects in radiation medicine to the country,” he said.

Dr. Hasford disclosed that plans were far advanced to acquire office space for the Secretariat. He also noted that the Council of FAMPO, in its communique, described Ghana as a leader in medical physics practice and training within the African region.

“Ghana is one of the few countries within the region with legislative recognition for the profession. It is anticipated that the experiences of Ghana will be put to bear in managing this very important Secretariat,” he added.