Centre for Ageing Studies Project

The Challenge


Ghana is undergoing a fast-paced demographic transition, with its elderly population rising from 8.3% in 2021 
to a projected 14.1% by 2050. As life expectancy increases, traditional family-based care systems are 
weakening due to urbanisation, economic pressures, and migration. Older persons increasingly face gaps in 
healthcare access, economic insecurity, limited social support, and poor quality of life. Existing hospitals, 
designed primarily for maternal and communicable disease care, lack the specialist geriatric services needed 
to meet the unique health and psychosocial needs of older persons. Despite a National Ageing Policy, 
coordinated, research-driven solutions remain limited, leaving Ghana unprepared for the complexities of an 
ageing population.


Proposed Solution


The Centre for Ageing Studies Project is a transformative, multidisciplinary initiative that combines academic 
excellence with direct geriatric service delivery. The project will establish a purpose-built Centre comprising 
two complementary arms:

The Academic Arm, funded through grants and philanthropy, will lead research, training, and 
evidence-based policy innovation on ageing, producing specialised human capital in gerontology and 
geriatrics.

The Geriatric Service Delivery Arm, financed and operated by a private investor under a structured 
revenue-sharing model, will deliver specialised healthcare services, diagnostics, rehabilitation, 
assisted living, wellness programmes, and caregiver training.
 

Together, these two arms will expand access to dignified, affordable elder care; ease pressure on the national 
health system; generate high-quality data for national planning; create employment; and position the 
University of Ghana as a regional leader in ageing research and innovation.

Project Objectives

  • Expand access to dignified and affordable elder care
  • Strengthen national ageing research capacity
  • Build human capital for Ghana’s ageing sector
  • Position UG as a regional leader in ageing innovation