On Friday, July 25, 2025, a delegation from Johnson & Johnson Middle East, the Ghanaian branch of the U.S.-based pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation, paid a courtesy visit to Professor Daniel Y. A. Duah, Dean of the International Programmes Office (IPO) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The delegation included Mrs. Esther Serwaa Ackah Chinebuah, Medical Manager responsible for Ghana; Mr. Leroy Nii Okanta Ankrah, Communications Consultant and Lead Consultant on the Resilient Minds Project; and Mr. Emmanuel Adjei.
Mrs. Victoria De-Graft Adjei, Counselling Psychologist and Head of the KNUST Counselling Centre (KCC), shared that the visit was to review the achievements and challenges of the first phase of the collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and KCC over the past two years, and to explore the direction of the second phase.
The delegation highlighted several success stories resulting from the partnership, including capacity-building workshops, training sessions for KCC and Mastercard Foundation staff, increased mental health awareness among students, health screenings, and more.
Looking ahead, the delegation proposed expanding the initiative to include teaching and non-teaching staff in the university community to further strengthen mental health advocacy.
Professor Daniel Duah warmly welcomed the delegation and expressed his appreciation for Johnson & Johnson’s support. He noted that with a student population of over 80,000, the University needs all the help it can get to become the best environment for grooming students to thrive in the global space. He assured the delegation of IPO’s commitment to sustaining and enhancing the partnership.
Also present at the meeting were Mr. Rabbi Darko, Mr. Gilbert Konwie Langu, and Ms. Joan Soribang – all psychologists from KCC; Mrs. Yvonne Baiden, Senior Assistant Registrar; Miss Ernestine Oheneba Danso, Collaborations and Partnerships Officer; Mr. Livingstone Agbenorxevi, Assistant Collaborations and Partnerships Officer; and Mr. Attah-Nyame Essampong, Visibility and Communications Officer – all from the IPO.
