Kumasi: Professor Christian Agyare, Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has called on policy makers to focus on the implementation of local research findings to mitigate Ghana's escalating injury burden. He noted the persistent gap between research evidence and policy action, despite numerous studies conducted on injuries in the country over the years.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prof Agyare highlighted the issue at a two-day injury prevention conference organized by KNUST in collaboration with the University of Washington. The conference, themed 'Nipping Ghana's Injury Menace in the Bud - Harnessing Evidence from Local Research,' was part of a KNUST-led injury research project funded by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health.
Prof Agyare pointed out that Ghana often depends on foreign models and interventions to tackle injuries such as road traffic crashes, drowning, burns, and workplace accidents, without adequately adapting them to local contexts. He emphasized that while these foreign tools have value, they do not always align with Ghana's cultural, geographical, and governance realities. The conference theme underscored the importance of solutions grounded in local evidence and tailored to Ghana's unique circumstances.
He further stated that injuries remain a significant public health emergency, resulting in loss of lives, disabling productive citizens, and imposing significant strain on the national economy and healthcare system. Ghanaian researchers have generated substantial evidence on injury patterns, risk factors, and effective interventions, which should be central to policy formulation and implementation.
Prof Agyare urged researchers to actively engage with policy makers, media, and relevant institutions to ensure research findings are translated into actionable policies. He encouraged researchers to share their findings boldly and ensure their work reaches those who can act on it.
He also praised the injury research project for training approximately 43 researchers in injury-related fields over the past two decades, all of whom have remained in Ghana contributing to national development. Additionally, he commended the establishment of the University Injury Prevention and Research Centre at KNUST as a crucial platform for sustained stakeholder engagement and information sharing on injury prevention.
Prof Agyare called for a stronger national commitment to addressing injuries through evidence-based policies and interventions. He emphasized that Ghana possesses the talent, institutions, and tools needed to tackle its injury burden decisively and urged collective resolve to prioritize this issue on the national agenda, trusting in local evidence to guide the way.