President Mahama Inuagrates Nine-Member Team Tasked with Supervising UGMC’s Transition to University of Ghana

President John Dramani Mahama has formally introduced a nine-member transitional body responsible for managing the shift of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Ministry of Health’s authority to that of the University of Ghana.

The inauguration took place on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Comprising scholars, healthcare experts, and legal professionals, the committee has been given a three-month timeframe to finalize the transfer.
Its primary duty is to oversee the full assimilation of UGMC into the university’s administrative framework.

Leading the committee are two co-chairs: Professor Aaron Lawson, former Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, and Professor Mutawakilu Ibin Idrisu, a neurologist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. They are charged with aligning UGMC’s healthcare services with the university’s educational and research priorities.

Here are the committee members:

1. Professor Aaron Lawson – Co-Chair; past Provost, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana
2. Professor Mutawakilu Ibin Idrisu – Co-Chair; neurology expert, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
3. Professor Yvonne Adu-Mensah – Dean, University of Ghana Medical School
4. Dr Abdul Bassit Aziz Bamba – Chief of Legal Affairs, University of Ghana
5. Professor Yao Kwakume – Director, Family Health Hospital
6. Professor Titus Beyuo – MP for Lambussie Constituency
7. Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea – Director-General, Ghana Health Service
8. Miss Matilda Ewusiwa Azumah – Head of Legal, Ministry of Education
9. Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo – Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana

The committee has been tasked with conducting comprehensive legal and structural assessments, formulating integration protocols, drafting a detailed timeline, and setting up a transition office. They are also expected to tackle resource allocation and staffing concerns within the designated three-month period.

At the launch event, Professor Lawson expressed gratitude for the trust placed in the committee, assuring attendees, “We shall not disappoint you.”
He emphasized the significance of the effort, calling it a major milestone in realizing a long-standing ambition—first imagined in 1962—to harmonize UGMC with the University of Ghana’s academic goals.