The Social Investment Fund (SIF) on Wednesday handed over the site to the contractor for the renovation and expansion of the University of Ghana Department of Medical Microbiology’s Clinical Virology Laboratory at the Korle -Bu Teaching Hospital.

The exercise marks the commencement of construction works under the Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP).

The project, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), aims to significantly strengthen Ghana’s capacity for biomedical research, training and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The laboratory renovation and expansion works, to be undertaken by Promancon Consult, is expected to be completed within nine months.

At the site handover ceremony in Accra, Professor Alfred Yawson, Provost of the University of Ghana Medical School, said the facility, when completed, would host a Peptide and Antimicrobial Resistance Centre to enhance research in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.

He said the project would play a critical role in training graduate students and advancing high-quality biomedical and scientific studies.

Prof. Yawson noted that the expanded centre was envisioned as a hub for innovative infectious disease research in West Africa, with a strong focus on post-COVID-19 priorities, including vaccine development, therapeutics and advanced clinical diagnostics.

“The havoc that COVID-19 wreaked on the nation showed us the need to invest in intricate scientific research that improves the quality of what we do,” he said.

The centre, he added, would support the national vaccine production agenda and enhance services provided to patients, considering the fact that Korle-Bu was Ghana’s largest referral hospital.

Prof. Yawson said the strategic location of the facility within the Hospital was an added advantage that would strengthen the link between research, training and patient care.

He emphasised the importance of delivering the project on time, to the highest quality standards, and with strong consideration for gender sensitivity, environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

Mr Prosper Puo-Ire, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Social Investment Fund, said the project reflected the Government of Ghana’s vision to strengthening national resilience and preparedness against future public health emergencies.

He said the PSDPEP was designed to enhance skills, infrastructure and institutional readiness, ensuring that Ghana would be better equipped to protect its citizens and manage future outbreaks.

“This is one of the major pillars of the post-COVID-19 project to enhance Ghana’s readiness, not only for ourselves, but also to position the country as a centre that can support the sub-region,” he said.

Mr Puo-Ire expressed confidence in the capacity of the University of Ghana and the Department of Medical Microbiology to make effective use of the facility, and pledged SIF’s commitment to working with development partners to mobilise additional resources.

He urged contractors and consultants to treat the project as a national responsibility, stressing the need for timely delivery, strict adherence to specifications and value for money to encourage further investment.

Professor Kwamena Sagoe, Project Lead and Virologist at the Department of Medical Microbiology, said the renovation would expand existing space and introduce new technologies and techniques to broaden the scope of research and diagnostic tests conducted by the department.

The expansion would also create additional space for student training, conferences and short courses, while blending the renovation of the existing 1960s-era structure with a new building to form a single modern facility.

The laboratory renovation and expansion is expected to be completed within nine months.

Dr Ernest Kissi, an engineer with Promancon Consult, the construction firm undertaking the construction work, promised to deliver to meet the specification and standards

Dr Ernest Kissi, an engineer with Promancon Consult, assured that the project would be delivered to specification and required standards within the stipulated nine months.