As part of the ongoing implementation of the NOREC-funded Eye Education Foreign Exchange Network (EYE FX Network) project, the School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS), University of Cape Coast (UCC), has welcomed two visiting scholars, Monica Wanjiru Nwangi and Seth Muga, from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kenya.

The two scholars arrived at SOVS in August 2026 to begin a six-month academic mobility exchange running through January 2027, under the EYE FX Network project — an initiative backed by a NOREC grant of NOK 3,288,091 (approximately USD 310,000), and implemented in partnership with SOVS-UCC (Ghana), MMUST (Kenya), the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), the African Eye Institute Trust (South Africa), and Mzuzu University (Malawi).

The visiting scholars have paid a courtesy call on the Provost of the College of Health and Allied Sciences (CoHAS), Prof. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah. The call was also attended by the College Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Afreh Owusu, the Junior Assistant Registrar at the Provost's Office, Mrs. Francisca Agotse,  the Dean of SOVS, Prof. Stephen Ocansey, and Dr. Salina Holdbrook, Assistant Lecturer at SOVS.

During their six-month stay, Monica and Maxwell are expected to immerse themselves fully in SOVS's academic and clinical activities, including teaching, research, and clinical observations.

Welcoming the visitors, the Provost expressed delight at hosting them and assured them that the doors of the College were open to them throughout their stay. She encouraged them to take full advantage of the opportunity and make their university proud.

The Dean of SOVS, Prof. Stephen Ocansey, introduced the EYE FX Network as an institutional-level project and reiterated SOVS's strong standing within African optometric academia.

Responding, the visiting scholars expressed appreciation for the warm reception and the programme arranged for them. They noted their awareness of SOVS's strong research reputation and indicated their interest in identifying potential PhD supervisors at SOVS during their visit.

Meanwhile, in a corresponding outward exchange under the same project, two SOVS faculty members, Dr. Selassie Dzasimatu and Dr. Jacob Mesuh, have travelled to the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) for a six-month mobility placement, also expected to conclude in January 2027.

The reciprocal exchange reflects the EYE FX Network's core objective of strengthening optometric education, clinical training, and research capacity through structured mobility between partner institutions in Africa and the Global North.