𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐀 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝟔𝟔𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐀𝐂𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄, 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀

President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, has officially opened the 66th Annual Conference of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), calling for urgent and sustained investment in surgical capacity to improve health outcomes across West Africa.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Mahama described surgery as central to health, dignity, and economic productivity, stressing that capacity building must extend beyond increasing the number of surgeons to strengthening systems, teams, governance structures, and equitable access to care. The conference is themed “Capacity Building in Surgery for Improved Health Outcomes in West Africa.”

The President reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to advancing surgical training, improving health infrastructure, and enhancing specialist care across the sub-region. In recognition of his support for surgical development, he was named Grand Patron and Honorary Fellow of WACS.

The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, emphasised that surgery is a vital pillar of health systems, rather than an optional service. He noted that safe surgery depends on system readiness, including reliable infrastructure, blood services, intensive care units, diagnostics, and strong clinical governance.

Commending WACS for promoting global standards through regional collaboration, the Minister announced that a surgical outreach linked to the conference delivered 855 surgeries across 11 hospitals in six regions of Ghana.

He addressed health worker migration by recommending improved working conditions, structured career pathways, and stronger engagement with the medical diaspora to retain and attract talent.

The conference has drawn surgeons, medical professionals, researchers, policymakers, and health stakeholders from across the region and beyond, fostering collaboration and setting the stage for future advancements in surgical care throughout West Africa.