By Jones Anlimah
Professor Frank Baiden, Principal Investigator of the UHAS-NKABOM Mastercard Project and Dean of the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH), has outlined the goals and urgency of the UHAS-NKABOM Mastercard initiative during a capacity-building workshop for journalists from the Volta and Oti Regions.
The event, held in Hohoe, aimed to deepen media engagement with pressing public health and development issues in Ghana.
Professor Frank Baiden, Principal Investigator of the project and Dean of the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH), described NKABOM—an Akan word for togetherness—as a timely intervention targeting two major public health and development issues in Ghana: graduate unemployment and childhood stunting.
In his address, Prof. Baiden emphasized the importance of the media’s role in communicating health and development stories. He noted that the training came at a pivotal time, following the recent launch of the UHAS-NKABOM Mastercard Project—a 10-year, $9.8 million initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation to transform public health education and job opportunities outcomes in Ghana.
The 10-year project, backed by a $9.8 million grant, aims to reform public health education by mainstreaming entrepreneurship and practical skills acquisition into the curriculum of FNBSPH. The school seeks to create a 50-50 balance between theory and practice, with strong emphasis on agribusiness across the value chain to create sustainable and dignified jobs for Ghanaian youth.
Explaining the project’s foundation, Prof. Baiden said the “Nkabom”, project brings together seven Ghanaian institutions and McGill University in Canada. It is symbolized in the Adinkra symbol nkabom na yetumi, meaning “together makes things possible.”
He identified two major national challenges the NKABOM Project seeks to address: graduate unemployment and child stunting.
“At FNBSPH, we are enormously challenged by the fact that many of our graduates remain unemployed years after completing their degrees,” Prof. Baiden said. “We’re making variations to our curriculum by mainstreaming entrepreneurship and practical skills acquisition, aiming for a 50-50 balance between theory and hands-on learning.”
The project will also focus on Ghana’s persistent stunting problem. Approximately 15% of children under five are stunted nationwide, with some communities experiencing rates as high as 25–30%. Prof. Baiden described stunting as a “human development challenge” with long-term impacts on mental development, education, and chronic disease.
“FNBSHP is conducting community-based research to develop replicable models to address stunting among children,” he noted. The NKABOM partnership also envisions agribusiness in its full value chain as a pathway to create sustainable and dignifying jobs for Ghanaian youth.
Prof. Baiden invited journalists to partner in this 10-year journey to combat graduate unemployment and stunting, encouraging them to use their platforms to amplify the goals of the project.
He called on media professionals to draw national attention to the abandoned permanent UHAS site in Fodome. “Please help us by using your pens, voices, and videos to highlight the situation. We need action to complete the structure and move the Hohoe campus to a permanent home,” he said. “Space is now limiting development, and we call on all to come to Macedonia and help.”
