Members of the IEA Executive Committee and ErgoAfrica network along with ergonomics/human factors educators from USA and Europe are working towards building up the educational resources in West Africa for our discipline. Last week milestone meetings were held at the University of Ghana where plans were laid to establish a Masters Degree program in Ergonomics and Human Factors. This will serve as a model for the region and will be the first such program in Africa. It emphasises the commitment of regional leaders to the improvement of working conditions. The photo is of the meeting with the provost, Professor Julius Fobil.
The program’s curriculum will need to address a workforce that looks very different from the manufacturing and agricultural settings where ergonomics first took root. West Africa’s service economy has expanded rapidly over the past decade, and with it the number of workers spending long hours at screens. Call centres, fintech startups, online casinos, and logistics hubs now employ tens of thousands of people across the region in roles that carry their own set of musculoskeletal and cognitive-load risks. Training local practitioners to assess those environments is part of what makes the Ghana program so timely.
There was also the opportunity to give some hands on training to physiotherapy students from the School of Public Heatlh in measuring musculoskeletal loads. This was organised by Dr Augustine Appah Acquah.
