Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann details challenges of establishing biomedical engineering at University of Ghana
Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana and Quiz Mistress of the National Science and Maths Quiz, has shared her experiences in establishing biomedical engineering at the University of Ghana UG. Returning to Ghana in 2001, she was tasked by then Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah to help develop engineering programs at the university, which at the time had no engineering faculty. Professor Kaufmann specifically focused on creating biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering programs, areas aligned with her expertise. She noted the difficulty of this undertaking, as biomedical engineering was not offered as an undergraduate program in Ghana. The UG program was approved in 2003, with the first cohort of students admitted in 2004 and graduating in 2008. Professor Kaufmann highlighted that in 2003, when the program began, only two lecturers taught all the courses, leading to significant challenges. She also discussed the constraints of operating an engineering program within a public university, including limited financial and human resources. She mentioned that student tuition is less than 300 US dollars per year, and as a government institution, the university faces difficulties in independently recruiting staff or increasing fees. Despite these limitations, Professor Kaufmann emphasized that the program's achievements are a testament to the dedication of students and lecturers working with
