The Centre for Ageing Studies (CFAS), College of Humanities, at the University of Ghana, has marked its 10th anniversary with a call on Parliament to expedite the Aged Persons’ Bill.
The Centre said passage of the Bill would ensure that the needs of older people, including social, economic and health challenges, were adequately addressed.
Reverend Professor Joseph Osafo Adu, Director of CFAS, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the launch at Legon, said the Bill would guarantee the rights and dignity of older persons and promote their well-being.
The event was on the theme “Ageing Societies, Shared Futures: Ghana at a Demographic Crossroad.”
Prof. Adu said the Centre, since its establishment a decade ago, had championed issues of older persons through research and advocacy to improve their wellbeing.
He said that plans were underway to establish a geriatric centre to provide comprehensive care, health services, and support for the ageing population.
“Through this Centre we hope to have a Geriatric clinic which will provide specialised health care only for the aged to save them from the stress of joining long queues at hospitals whenever they go for medical care,” he said.
Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, urged the Centre to continue to provide high-quality research that informed policy and practice on ageing.
Also, the Centre should strengthen partnerships with government, civil society, development partners and communities to ensure a practical and measurable impact.
“Third, it should invest in capacity building by training the next generation of scholars, practitioners, and policy makers in ageing studies.
“Fourth, it should expand its public engagement and outreach so that its knowledge reaches the people who need it most, especially older adults and the institutions that serve them,” she said.
The Centre for Ageing Studies was established in 2016 by its founding Director, Professor Christopher Charles Mate-Kole.
Its work spans dementia care, spirituality and meaning in later life, the economics of ageing, mental health among older populations, caregiving systems, and the social experiences of older Ghanaians in both urban and rural areas.
The Centre has also developed a bibliography of ageing research in Ghana spanning more than six decades, serving as a key resource for the field.
It offers graduate programmes in Ageing Studies, including MA, MPhil and PhD degrees, making it one of the few institutions in Africa providing advanced training in the discipline.