King's Roundtable Bolsters UK Health Ties with Africa

The high-level delegation included members of the Ministry of Health in Kenya, Dr Andrew Toro, Head of Nursing and Curative Services, with the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Medical Services, PS Dr Ouma Oluga joining remotely. Delegates from the government of Ghana also attended, led by Hon. Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Minister of State in Charge of Special Initiatives for the Republic of Ghana.

The visit forms part of Kenya-UK Strategic Health Alliance (KUKHA), which is developing a partnership between the nations to deliver better health outcomes. King's joined the alliance last year, aiming to work together to shape education pathways to increase the number of trained health professionals in Kenya to help treat areas of high disease burden.

King's expertise in cancer and kidney disease formed a key focus of the roundtable, with presentations delivered by Dr Sheeba Irshad, Professor in Cancer Immunology, and Dr Kate Branham, Reader of Nephrology & Maternal Medicine and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist, both from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. These diseases pose a significant health burden in Kenya and Ghana, with diagnoses often coming at advanced stages, and are a target for improved training for healthcare professionals and screening programmes.

Chairing the delegation was Professor Graham Lord, Senior Vice-President (Health & Life Sciences) at King's College London, a driving force behind KUKHA.

Held at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE), the delegation also demonstrated King's long-standing commitment to working with African partners - including the impactful work of King's African Leadership Centre, a dual initiative between King's and the University of Nairobi in nurturing the next generation of leaders across the continent.

Discussions also showcased the Afe Babalola Centre for Transnational Education at King's, a collaboration with partners from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa which aims to widen access to higher education and employment by strengthening capacity in high quality online learning and teaching. Underpinned by the principles of co‑creation and mobile‑first design, the Centre's programmes include a transnational Foundation Certificate in Applied Health designed to prepare talented young Africans for future careers in community healthcare.

The event highlighted how healthcare professionals and researchers around the world are learning from Kenya's digital infrastructure for healthcare. Kenya is also training Community Health Promotors, who serve as the crucial link between households and the formal health system, focusing on prevention, education, and primary care, to support Universal Health Coverage.

Professor Graham Lord, Senior Vice-President, Health & Life Sciences, King's College London, Executive Director, King's Health Partners: "The roundtable continues to deepen healthcare connections between the UK, Kenya and Ghana, highlighting the ongoing impact King's is having on an international scale. Our proposed collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and continued work with Principal Secretary for the State Department for Medical Services in Kenya's Ministry of Health, PS Dr Ouma Oluga, aims to offer training pathways to increase the number of Kenyan healthcare professionals. Developing a sustainable model for healthcare, this will benefit generations to come and directly address real-world challenges."

The Ministerial visit follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last year by King's, attended by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya Dr William Samoei Ruto. The MoU commits King's to exploring partnership opportunities to bolster Kenya's health workforce, establish local biologics manufacturing capabilities, and advance diagnostic technology, including crucial advancements in cancer care.