Professor Theophilus Fletcher, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) on Monday noted that Africa needed more health promotion experts.

He said the experts were needed to help prevent lifestyle diseases from getting hold of the continent.

Prof. Fletcher was speaking at the presentation of the second cohort students for the Master of Science-Public Health Promotion of UHAS and Leeds Beckett University (UK) in Ho.

He said diabetes and blood pressure had become common ailments for all age groups, for which the continent needed preventive care professionals to reverse the trend.

Prof. Fletcher said the diseases were impacting negatively on the economy, and needed to be combated with health promotion education.

He welcomed the students and said UHAS was ready to make its resources available for students on the continent.

Dr. Ruth Cross, Course Leader, Leeds Beckett University, announced a mentorship programme as part of the course.

Madam Grace Kafui Annan, Course Coordinator, UHAS, disclosed that the first 18 cohort students were admitted in 2013 with 15 under Commonwealth Secretariat scholarship for the two-and-a-half-year course.

She said this year, 19 students were admitted, 12 under the Commonwealth Secretariat scholarship and seven being self-funded.

Dr. Francis Zotor, Director of International Programmes at the UHAS, expressed worry about Ghana’s poor performance in the UN Global Report on anaemia, and urged the students to come out better equipped to bring maternal mortality and anaemia cases down in Africa.