By Leo Nelson
President of the Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA), William Edem Kumah, on Tuesday April 28, paid a courtesy call on the Volta region’s member of the Council of State HE Gabriel Kwamigah-Atokple.
The visit was to express the association’s appreciation for Gabriel Kwamigah-Atokple’s work in the Volta Region and to discuss the development, health, and the future of cancer care in the Volta region.
President Kumah reflected on the impactful work CEANA has undertaken over the past 25 years in Eweland.
He identified the lack of a strong maintenance culture as one of the major challenges confronting many of our institutions, emphasizing the urgent need for a paradigm shift in our approach to sustaining projects and public infrastructure.
A key highlight of the engagement was CEANA’s vision to partner with the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, to establish a modern Research Center dedicated to studying the types of cancer affecting people within the West African sub-region and advancing treatment solutions.
This proposed center has the potential to become a transformative institution for healthcare delivery and medical research in our part of the world.
Kumah, a cancer research and treatment specialist, expressed surprise that Ghana currently lacks a LINAC machine, an essential technology widely used in cancer treatment.
He noted, with concern, that such machines are even used to treat dogs in Switzerland, yet remain unavailable here for human cancer care, a stark reality underscoring the urgency of investing in advanced healthcare infrastructure.
The CEANA President further shared that the proposed Research Center would serve as a legacy project of CEANA in the Volta Region at UHAS, and appealed to the Council of State member for support in helping make this vision a reality.
In response, HE Gabriel Kwamigah-Atokple assured the CEANA President of full support through his foundation, the Tanko Foundation to “make this novel idea a reality.”
He also pledged to explore avenues for engaging Corporate Ghana and international development partners to contribute towards the success of the project.
HE Gabriel Kwamigah-Atokple took the opportunity to redeem a pledge made to CEANA a few weeks ago during their 2026 launch in Ho, where he served as Special Guest of Honour.
“I look forward to joining CEANA at this year’s convention in September in Maryland, USA, as we continue working together to advance healthcare, research, and development for our people.”
