Vincent Boima, the Head of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Ghana Medical School, has announced study shows that Akans face a higher genetic risk of Kidney disease.
According to the UGMC’s Vincent Boima, emerging research suggests some ethnic groups in Ghana may carry a higher genetic predisposition to kidney disease than others.
He disclosed that the study findings suggest Akans are more likely to carry high-risk gene variants associated with kidney disease compared to Gas and Ewes.
Vincent Boima highlighted that similar patterns have also been observed in Nigeria, with Igbos appearing to have a higher genetic risk of kidney disease compared to Yorubas and Fulanis.
The UGMC’s Vincent Boima made this known during the inaugural lecture held on Wednesday, May 14, at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, titled “From Genes to Minds: Holistic Pathways to Precision Kidney Care in Africa.”
Prof. Boima, speaking in an interview with Citi News after the lecture, stressed that researchers are still working to fully understand the underlying causes of these disparities.
He, however, noted that the findings could help explain the burden of kidney disease among certain population groups, particularly young people.
“We are still trying to understand why these differences exist, but the data suggest there are genetic risk variations among populations,” he stated.
The UGMC professor further called for more precise and targeted approaches to kidney disease treatment and prevention, adding that access to renal care in many African countries remains limited and expensive.
He further stressed that the financial burden associated with kidney disease is increasing, urging for stronger community education and early screening programmes to detect chronic kidney disease before it progress.
In other news, the Human Milk Bank at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) is calling on lactating mothers with excess breast milk to donate milk to save the lives of premature and vulnerable babies.
According to Dr Ophelia Ganyaglo, a paediatrician at the UGMC, donor breast milk has become a lifeline for several newborns whose mothers cannot breastfeed due to death, illness, surgery of lack of milk production.
She disclosed that the Human Milk Bank, the first of its kind in Ghana, is similar to a blood bank, revealing that the bank was launched in June 2025, and operations officially began in November 2025 after staff training.
Dr Ophelia Ganyaglo added that within six months of operation, the bank had successfully recruited eight donor mothers and served 15 babies.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Ophelia Ganyaglo explained, “A human milk bank receives breast milk from healthy lactating mothers who have excess milk beyond what their babies need. The milk is screened, safely stored, pasteurised to eliminate harmful bacteria, and redistributed to vulnerable babies”.
“Eight donors may sound small, but these mothers have donated about 64 litres of breast milk, which has gone a long way to support babies in critical need,” she stated.
“Breast milk is liquid gold. It supports growth, protects babies against infections, and improves survival outcomes, especially for premature babies,” she said.
She further assured the public that strict safety measures were in place to ensure the quality of donated milk adding that all donor mothers undergo screening for infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis.
“All we are doing now is formalising the process and ensuring that it is done safely and scientifically,” she said.
According to donor mothers currently receive only appreciation tokens such as branded souvenirs and breast pumps, instead of cash incentives.
“We do not attach monetary value to breast milk donation because we do not want mothers neglecting their own babies for financial gain,” she added.
“We need more donors. There are many babies out there whose survival depends on access to safe breast milk,” she stressed.
Dr Ganyaglo further expressed hope that more health facilities across the country would establish human milk banks in the future.
“We dream of a future where every region in Ghana will have a human milk bank so that no vulnerable baby is denied the benefits of breast milk,” she said.
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