The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Francis Hasford, has emphasised the need to invest in human capital and infrastructure development to boost cancer treatment in the country.
“Reliable cancer treatment depends not only on equipment availability but also on the presence of skilled medical physicists, engineers and technical professionals who can operate and maintain complex systems effectively,” he said.
Prof. Hasford made the call when GAEC, through its Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute (RAMSRI), hosted a high-level international training workshop under the SupraAfrican Physics Partnership for Health Innovation and Radiotherapy Expansion (SAPPHIRE) Project to boost cancer treatment.
The workshop, held in Accra, aimed at strengthening radiotherapy capacity across Africa through advanced technical training, knowledge exchange and international collaboration.
It brought together over 40 experts from Africa, Europe and Northern America.
SAPPHIRE Project
The SAPPHIRE Project is a two-year initiative funded by the United Kingdom’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and led by Professor Manjit Dosanjh of the University of Oxford.
It addressed major challenges in cancer care delivery in Africa, including shortages of skilled medical physicists and engineers, limited access to advanced radiotherapy technologies and the recurrent breakdown of medical linear accelerator (LINAC) systems critical for cancer treatment.
Workforce
The workshop served as a platform for building human resource capacity and enhancing technical expertise in radiotherapy.
Participants included medical physicists, clinicians, engineers and researchers from Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
Framework
Prof. Hasford highlighted the importance of international collaborations, noting that SAPPHIRE created a framework for technology transfer, research cooperation and shared learning between African institutions and global leaders in accelerator science and medical physics.
He said the initiative aligned with Ghana’s national cancer control strategy and broader continental goals to ensure equitable access to life-saving radiotherapy services.
Timely response
In her address, the Director of RAMSRI, Dr Theodosia Adom, described the SAPPHIRE Project as a timely and strategic response to the growing burden of cancer in Africa.
She highlighted GAEC’s longstanding contribution to healthcare, through nuclear science applications, including medical physics research, radiation protection, radiobiology, nuclear medicine, and professional training.
“By strengthening technical capacity in accelerator science and improving the operational performance and sustainability of medical linear accelerator systems, the SAPPHIRE Project directly addresses some of the most critical barriers to effective cancer treatment delivery,” she said.
Clinical training
The workshop featured an intensive programme, combining lectures, practical sessions and field-based learning.
The training areas included clinical radiotherapy principles and patient-centred treatment planning; LINAC design, operation, and maintenance; accelerator physics and radio-frequency systems; radiotherapy dosimetry and quality assurance; radiation safety and regulatory compliance; and imaging and image-guided radiotherapy techniques.
Participants also engaged in hands-on engineering and simulation-based training, using specialised software (SIMAC), with continued access provided beyond the workshop.
These sessions enhanced understanding of accelerator sub-systems and their impact on treatment accuracy, safety, and reliability.
Bridging theory and practice
As part of the practical component, participants undertook technical visits to the GAEC and the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The visits provided direct exposure to operational LINAC and cobalt 60 systems and facilitated discussions on equipment maintenance, patient workload pressures, and staffing constraints.
Participants also interacted with local experts to identify practical solutions suitable for resource constrained settings.
Collaboration
The workshop drew expertise from institutions, including the University of Oxford, Lancaster University, the University of Cambridge, the International Cancer Expert Corps and major African teaching hospitals.
Projections
The leader of the SAPPHIRE Project, Prof. Manjit Dosanjh, said projections indicated global cancer cases could reach 27.5 million annually by 2040, with nearly 70 per cent occurring in low and middle income countries.
She also outlined the complementary Smart Technologies to Extend Lives with Linear Accelerators (STELLA) initiative, which focused on developing affordable and robust radiotherapy systems for resource limited environments.
The workshop called for sustained investment and collaboration, with key recommendations such as expanding accelerator engineering training programmes across Africa, strengthening regional collaboration in LINAC maintenance and data sharing, implementing standardised quality assurance systems, developing predictive maintenance strategies, sustaining partnerships between research institutions and clinical centres.
Participants also advocated follow-up workshops and expanded implementation of the SAPPHIRE initiative to ensure long-term impact.
Leadership in cancer care
The successful hosting of the SAPPHIRE training workshop reinforced Ghana’s position as a regional hub for medical physics training and radiotherapy innovation.
It also underscored GAEC’s leadership in advancing nuclear science and technology for improved access to safe, reliable and effective cancer treatment services across Africa.
Source: graphic.com.gh
