Programme and faculty service
Course and programme coordination at Nangui-Abrogoua University, including postgraduate training in botany and phytotherapy.
Leadership and institution-building
Building systems that allow knowledge to become lasting public value
Prof. Kwame B.N. Banga’s leadership has developed through academic administration, scientific capacity-building and the creation of practical bridges among universities, regulators, health professionals and traditional medicine practitioners.
Academic leadership journey
Responsibility expanding from programmes to institutions
Academic systems
Course coordination, departmental and school examinations leadership at the University of Ghana School of Pharmacy.
Departmental leadership
Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; member of school, college and university governance structures.
School leadership
Acting Dean of the University of Ghana School of Pharmacy.
Institute leadership
Professor of Pharmacology and Director of ITAM at the University of Health and Allied Sciences.
Institutional focus
Developing ITAM as a platform for responsible integration
The Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine was established under the UHAS mandate to advance education, training, research, product development, advocacy and service delivery. Since assuming office as Director in August 2023, Prof. Banga has worked with University leadership, faculty, staff, practitioners, regulators and partners to strengthen the Institute’s systems and practical capacity.
Evidence
Support rigorous validation of traditional and complementary health practices.
Education
Develop academic and professional learning pathways for researchers, health workers and practitioners.
Quality
Embed reproducibility, quality assurance, safety and regulatory awareness.
Translation
Connect research findings with products, services and responsible health-system use.
Partnership
Bring institutions, practitioners, regulators and communities into shared programmes.
Sustainability
Build infrastructure, people and revenue-generating services that can endure.
Selected institution-building initiatives
From mandate to functioning capacity
Commissioned 29 November 2024
ITAM Natural Products Laboratory
A multidisciplinary platform for phytochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, toxicology, quality control and natural-product development. Equipment partnerships and laboratory systems expanded ITAM’s ability to test products and support research.
FDA Good Laboratory Practice certification obtained in December 2025.First edition · 4–7 November 2025
Professional Practice Course
A UHAS-approved professional-development programme connecting traditional practice with clinical assessment, laboratory interpretation, medicinal-plant identification, regulation, ethics, dosage forms, extraction, preservation, efficacy testing, sustainability, documentation and packaging.
254 traditional medicine practitioners participated in the first edition.Joint Steering Committee · since June 2024
UHAS–GHAFTRAM collaboration
A structured partnership linking university expertise with practitioner organisations to strengthen training, research engagement, product quality and responsible professional practice.
A practical framework for sustained university–practitioner engagement.ITAM · 2023–present
Governance and strategic development
Institute-board leadership, appointments and promotion processes, strategic planning, committee service and alignment with wider UHAS academic, research, budget and governance systems.
Institutional structures designed to support accountable and sustainable growth.Capacity in practice
Selected indicators of institutional progress
practitioners trained in the first PPC edition
natural products analysed from May to December 2025
FDA Good Laboratory Practice certification
commissioning year of the NatPro Laboratory
University and professional service
Leadership beyond a single office
Prof. Banga contributes to academic governance, appointments and promotion, research, procurement, budgeting, curriculum development and practitioner collaboration. His current service includes UHAS Academic Board and senior committees, the ITAM Institute Board and Appointment, Promotion and Review Committee, the UHAS–GHAFTRAM Joint Steering Committee, and the Traditional Medicine Practice Council Curriculum Review Committee.