FDA director calls for strategic leadership in health workforce development

Mrs. Nora Nackie Terlabie is the Director of Regional Operations at the Food and Drugs Authority. She has called for stronger leadership in recruiting, training, and retaining healthcare workers. This is essential to strengthen health systems in Ghana and across Africa.

She spoke at the opening ceremony of a short course at KNUST. The course focuses on Strategic Leadership for Health Systems Transformation in Developing Countries. Mrs. Terlabie emphasized that healthcare workers are “the backbone of any health system.”

She delivered her remarks on behalf of the CEO of the Food and Drugs Authority. She stressed that leadership must be intentional and centered around people. “Strategic leadership must prioritize recruitment, training, and retention of skilled personnel,” she said.

Mrs. Terlabie also highlighted the need for supportive working environments that promote professional growth. Her speech marked the start of a week-long training for twenty-five primary healthcare workers.

This training is organized by the Africa Health Collaborative at KNUST with support from the Mastercard Foundation. Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah leads this program under the Health Employment pillar.

Now in its third year, this program aims to build leadership capacity among healthcare professionals in developing countries. It equips them to drive meaningful change in their health systems.

Prof. Easmon Otupiri coordinates the course from KNUST's School of Public Health. He emphasized innovation and adaptability in healthcare leadership during his remarks.

“We need to do things differently to expect different results,” he stated. He called for transformational leadership at all levels.

Prof. Peter Agyei Baffour, Dean of the School of Public Health, encouraged participants to engage fully with their training. He noted that strategic leadership is crucial for overcoming challenges in low-resource health settings.

The Africa Health Collaborative promotes sustainable healthcare solutions across Africa through three core pillars: Health Employment, Health Entrepreneurship, and Health Ecosystems, with support from the Mastercard Foundation.