The agreement will allow students from the UGMS to complete the first three years of their studies at the UWI, after which they would be awarded a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree.

Students who successfully complete the BSc programme will be admitted to the fourth year at the UGMS for the clinical phase of their training.

Upon completion, the students would be awarded Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) by the University of Ghana (UG).

The agreement was signed by the Vice-Chancellor of the UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, and the Principal and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UWI, Cave Hills Campus, in Accra yesterday.

Collaboration

Prof. Amfo said that the exchange programme would enable staff and students of the two universities to collaborate in groundbreaking research, teaching and learning.

They would also exchange knowledge and access resources and learning opportunities available to both institutions, she added.

“This is an important achievement as it revisited a transatlantic journey that in our history was detrimental to our people but in our present, has the opportunity to revisit this in a positive way,” Prof. Amfo said.

She said the processes leading to the fruition of the partnership had not been without challenges but that with tenacity and commitment, the UGMS was able to obtain the accreditation for the programme.

“It is my belief that this partnership will serve as a major springboard for the realisation of the vision of promoting international visibility for our university and open up a new chapter for academic journey for both universities.

“This transnational programme is one of the innovative ways the university is contributing to developing human resource capacity to improve healthcare delivery in Ghana and beyond,” Prof. Amfo added.

Deepening of ties

The Barbados High Commissioner to Ghana, Juliette Babb-Rile, said the programme was in line with her government’s policy to forge closer ties with Ghana.

“We want to deepen our relationship with Ghana and strengthen collaborations in the areas of tourism, culture, education and sports.

She, therefore, commended management of the two institutions for the initiative.

The Deputy Dean of Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UWI, Dr Kenneth Connel, also said that the initiative would promote knowledge sharing between students of both institutions.

“In some few years to come, a Ghanaian doctor who may be having difficulty can quickly pick up a telephone and speak to the Barbadian classmate for support and vice versa.

“Barbados ancestry is predominantly Ghanaian, and culturally, we are very much alike so we look forward to welcoming our Ghanaian students,” Dr Connel said.