Noguchi Staff Games Promote Unity, Wellness and Team Spirit
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) recently held its annual staff games, bringing together over 700 members of the University of Ghana community, including researchers, technical staff, administrators, students and national service personnel for a day of bonding, fitness, and friendly competition.
The event, which followed the success of last year’s anniversary edition, was spearheaded by the Noguchi Staff Welfare Association under the leadership of Dr. Adwoa Asante-Poku, Senior Research Fellow and Chair of the Organising Committee.
In her remarks, Dr. Asante-Poku explained that the games were part of a broader effort to promote camaraderie, break down hierarchical barriers and provide a space for staff to connect beyond the labs.
“As Scientists, we are often confined to highly demanding and pressure-filled environments,” she said. “These games offer an opportunity to bond, keep fit and promote ‘esprit de corps’ across departments. It’s about oneness.”
The games, open to all staff across departments and units, form part of a suite of annual activities focused on staff wellbeing and professional culture. Other initiatives include a Psychology Week, which provides room for mental health experts to support staff dealing with work-related stress and burnout as well as Quality Week, aimed at reviewing internal processes in line with the Institute’s ISO accreditation and operational excellence goals.
Director of NMIMR, Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, expressed her enthusiasm for the event, noting its value in maintaining morale and improving work culture. “Our work here is brain-intensive, highly contained and often high-pressure. Team building is essential to our success. These games help us relax, build relationships and create a supportive atmosphere,” she said. “They break down barriers between junior and senior staff and allow everyone to feel part of one team.”
Prof. Yeboah-Manu also revealed the importance of such initiatives as part of the broader University of Ghana strategy to promote faculty and staff wellbeing and encouraged other departments across the university to replicate similar events that foster teamwork and mental wellness.
The Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Alfred Edwin Yawson, was also present to lend his support and celebrate the sense of community and energy on display.
At the end of the competition, Immune Strikers from the Department of Immunology emerged overall champions, successfully defending their title from the previous year.
As the Institute looks forward to next year’s games, staff left re-energised, united and more connected, reinforcing the value of wellness and teamwork in sustaining scientific excellence.