KNUST alumna and Professor of Pharmacology, Prof. Priscilla Kolibea Mante, is leading a $5.1 million initiative to strengthen the role of pharmacists in addressing the health impacts of climate change.
A proud alumna of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Priscilla Kolibea Mante continues to demonstrate how research, leadership and a commitment to public health can translate into meaningful impact. She is leading a KNUST team that has secured $5.1 million from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme to strengthen climate-resilient health systems through the pharmacy workforce.
The project, known as PharmAdapt, will be hosted by the University’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. It seeks to equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to respond to the growing health challenges associated with climate change.
Prof. Mante serves as Team Lead, working alongside Prof. Edmund Ekuadzi and Prof. Samuel Asare-Nkansah, who serve as Technical Portfolio Leads. Together, the team will focus on strengthening pharmacists’ capacity in climate-related health risks, emergency preparedness, climate-responsive pharmaceutical care and environmentally sustainable pharmacy practices.
Beyond professional training, PharmAdapt aims to develop practical tools, standards and approaches that will help pharmaceutical systems anticipate, prepare for and respond to the health consequences of climate change. The lessons and approaches developed through the initiative are also expected to inform similar interventions in other settings.
Explaining the significance of the initiative, Prof. Mante noted that pharmacists remain an underutilised resource in responding to the health effects of climate change. She expressed the ambition to move beyond individual training towards building systems and approaches that become embedded in pharmacy practice and can be scaled beyond Ghana.
The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Christian Agyare, described the partnership as an opportunity to strengthen the contribution of pharmacists to climate action and health-system resilience. He emphasised the importance of preparing pharmacists for emergencies and developing standards that will continue to serve the healthcare sector beyond the project’s implementation period.
The initiative brings together KNUST’s expertise in pharmaceutical sciences, health research, workforce development and innovation to address the intersection of climate change and healthcare. Through PharmAdapt, the University aims to support the development of a pharmacy workforce better equipped to respond to emerging climate-related health challenges and contribute to more resilient and sustainable health systems.
PharmAdapt is one of four new collaborations selected under Takeda’s 2026 Global CSR Programme to advance climate-resilient health systems. Takeda has committed a combined $22.2 million to the four initiatives, which support locally led approaches to strengthening healthcare in communities vulnerable to climate change.
For KNUST and its alumni community, Prof. Mante’s leadership in this initiative reflects the value of combining scientific expertise with a commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges. Her work demonstrates how knowledge and research can be translated into practical solutions that strengthen healthcare systems and contribute to the well-being of communities in Ghana and beyond.
As PharmAdapt moves forward, the initiative offers an opportunity to position pharmacists as important contributors to climate-responsive healthcare while building approaches that could benefit other countries facing similar challenges.
About Prof. Priscilla Kolibea Mante
Prof. Priscilla Kolibea Mante is a KNUST alumna and Professor of Pharmacology in the University’s Department of Pharmacology. Through her work in pharmaceutical sciences and health research, she contributes to advancing scientific knowledge, developing research capacity and addressing health challenges. Her leadership of PharmAdapt adds to these efforts by bringing pharmacy practice into the broader conversation on climate resilience and sustainable healthcare.