Dr. Okara honoured at 4th WAPCMLS Regional Conference in Cotonou, Benin

At the recently concluded 4th Regional Conference of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) in Cotonou, Benin, Dr. Godswill C. Okara, the pioneering Registrar/Secretary General of the College, was bestowed with the prestigious Award of Recognition and Appreciation for his exceptional contributions to the establishment and growth of the institution.

Dr. Okara’s visionary leadership has been instrumental in the realization of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS), an initiative that began over a decade ago. The story of this remarkable achievement traces back to June 2010, when Dr. Okara, then Vice President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), called for a historic meeting at the 29th World Congress of the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) in Nairobi, Kenya. At that meeting, he proposed the bold idea of creating a regional postgraduate college aimed at building specialist capacity in the medical laboratory sciences across the West African sub-region.

“The vision was clear: to strengthen diagnostic capabilities, improve disease research, and build professional laboratory capacity in West Africa to support health systems in the ECOWAS region,” Dr. Okara reflected, expressing his gratitude to the delegates who embraced this vision and endorsed the formation of the College.

In the years that followed, Dr. Okara led efforts to bring the idea to life. Through tireless collaboration with medical laboratory leaders across the region, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) played a pivotal role in drafting the constitutional framework and convening key stakeholders to discuss the operationalization of the College. These efforts culminated in the official inauguration of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) in Lagos, Nigeria, in February 2020.

As the first Registrar/Secretary General of WAPCMLS, Dr. Okara spearheaded its development and worked relentlessly to secure its statutory recognition. Within a year of its inception, he successfully obtained approval from the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers, ensuring the College’s membership in the ECOWAS Regional Council for Health Professionals Education (ERCHPE), a major milestone for the fledgling institution.

Dr. Okara’s leadership further solidified the College’s standing on the global stage with the achievement of full membership in the World Association of Societies of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM) in 2021. His strategic initiatives also led to the signing of a key collaborative partnership agreement with the African Society of Laboratory Medicine, enhancing the College’s international visibility and influence.

Under Dr. Okara’s guidance, WAPCMLS launched its fellowship training programme in 2023, a crucial step in advancing the professional development of medical laboratory scientists in the region. The programme saw its first successful cohort of seven (7) PhD holders graduate after completing the rigorous one-year Part 2 Fellowship training. These fellows were inducted as full members of the College during the Cotonou conference, marking a significant achievement for the institution. The College also released the results of the Primary examination candidates, who will now proceed to their two-year Part 1 Fellowship training in their chosen specialties.

In his remarks during the award ceremony, Dr. Okara expressed both humility and satisfaction with the success of the initiative. “It has been a great source of joy and fulfillment that my vision and dream of seeing a regional postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science in West Africa has come to fruition,” he said. “I give all the glory and thanks first to God for giving me the vision, and to my colleagues in Nigeria and West Africa for facilitating the implementation of this vision and the realization of this dream.”

Dr. Okara also expressed confidence in the future of the College, with his successor, Prof. Nafiu Amidu, taking over as the new Registrar/Secretary General. Prof. Amidu, a distinguished Professor of Chemical Pathology, is expected to continue building on the foundation laid by Dr. Okara, taking the College to even greater heights.

As the 4th Regional Conference concluded, the atmosphere was one of celebration and reflection on the milestones achieved, and anticipation for the future. The recognition of Dr. Godswill C. Okara’s leadership was not just a personal accolade, but a tribute to the collective efforts of medical laboratory professionals in West Africa who, under his guidance, have established a legacy that promises to improve health outcomes across the region for years to come.

Read also: 

Godswill Okara – Certificate of Appreciation

Letter to Godswill Okara Sept 2024

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