In a major move to strengthen healthcare in West Africa, the Health Community of West Africa Association (HCOWAA) and the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) have signed a new partnership agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was officially signed on April 25, 2025, at HCOWAA’s headquarters during a seminar focused on AI-driven disease control. The theme of the event was “Transforming Public Health with AI: National Frameworks for Smarter Disease Control and Emergency Response.”
This partnership aims to improve easy access to quality medical laboratory services across West Africa. Together, HCOWAA and GAMLS plan to launch a range of joint initiatives from upgrading healthcare infrastructure to creating more training and professional development opportunities for laboratory scientists.
What the Partnership Aims to Achieve
The collaboration between HCOWAA and GAMLS is built around six key goals:
1. Strengthen Healthcare Systems: Improve medical laboratory services’ availability, affordability, and quality.
2. Promote academic exchanges, training and capacity-building initiatives for healthcare professionals within Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientist affiliated facilities.
3. Support health facilities in upgrading their health infrastructure, equipment and service delivery standards.
4. Facilitate the development and implementation of policies for increased accessibility, affordability and quality of healthcare services.
5. Create networking opportunities through conferences and the annual HCOWAA Medical and Health Industry Investment Summit and Expo for healthcare professionals to collaborate and share knowledge.
6. Foster Alliances: Foster strong alliances between GAMLS member institutions, HCOWAA, and other healthcare stakeholders.
HCOWAA’s leadership highlighted that the partnership isn’t just about lab services it’s about improving healthcare systems as a whole. By supporting the people who provide essential diagnostics, the organizations hope to raise the overall quality of care in the region.
This agreement is expected to bring more collaboration, innovation and empowerment for medical laboratory scientists and medical institutions. It’s a step toward more responsive and resilient healthcare systems in West Africa.
The signing of this MoU signifies a huge step towards transforming disease control and healthcare delivery in West Africa. By leveraging innovative health partnerships and emerging technologies, HCOWAA aims to improve quality healthcare infrastructure, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
