The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the Government of Qatar to provide friendly concessionary financing for the establishment of an Islamic medical school at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Ghana’s Northern Region.
The proposed medical school aims to expand access to medical education and improve healthcare delivery in northern Ghana.
According to Mr. Iddrisu, the institution will serve as a center of excellence for Islamic medicine, equipping students to compete globally. “This partnership is part of a broader strategy to bridge regional disparities in healthcare and education,” he stated. “If you can give us a friendly concessionary financing for this, the ummah in that particular area can make use of it.”
Mr. Iddrisu emphasized the need for deeper institutional collaboration between Ghana and Qatar, especially in education. “We want to deepen institutional collaboration between our two governments to share knowledge, adopt best practices, and attract investment into our education sector,” he noted.
As part of broader education reforms, the minister revealed plans for a comprehensive review of the Islamic curriculum starting at the kindergarten level, aiming to enhance Arabic language instruction in Ghana’s basic schools.
Looking ahead, Mr. Iddrisu affirmed Ghana’s commitment to global educational development, confirming the country’s participation in the upcoming Global Education Conference in Geneva this September.
Qatar’s Ambassador to Ghana, Khalid Bin Jabor Al Mesallam, echoed Qatar’s dedication to supporting Ghana’s educational initiatives. “There is a need to explore more opportunities in support of Ghana’s education sector,” he said.
This initiative is expected to foster stronger educational ties between Ghana and Qatar while enhancing the country’s healthcare training programs.
