38 African scientists, 17 global experts storm Kumasi as KNUST opens GPOL optics hub

Ghana is set to take a bold leap into light-based scientific innovation with the official launch of the Ghana Photonics and Optics Laboratory (GPOL) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, at 08:00 GMT at the Amonoo-Neizer IDL Conference Centre . Housed at KNUST’s Department of Physics, the groundbreaking laboratory is spearheaded by Principal Investigator and Scientific Lead, Dr Akyana Britwum, alongside Technical Lead and Co-Principal Investigator, Dr Michael Kweku Edem Donkor, with backing from international partners . GPOL aims to build, teach, and maintain advanced light-based instruments designed to tackle critical public health, environmental, and safety challenges across West Africa .

These include non-invasive equipment that authenticates medicines through packaging, affordable diagnostic devices for early detection of glaucoma and newborn jaundice, and high-precision sensors capable of detecting heavy metal contamination in soil and water within seconds . Empowering local research and capacity Addressing systemic issues where imported diagnostic and analytical tools remain costly or abandoned when broken, GPOL seeks to build local capacity in photonic instrumentation—ensuring Ghanaian and African researchers build, maintain, and adapt these devices to solve regional challenges . “Photonics is one of the defining technologies of this century, and there is no reason Ghana should be on the sidelines,” stated Dr Britwum . “With GPOL and the NYANSAPO school, we are establishing the laboratory, the training and the international partnerships that let us as researchers and our students do world-class optics here at home, on problems that matter to Ghana. ” The NYANSAPO Photonics School The laboratory…