Ghana Enhances Public Health Emergency Readiness Through Africa CDC Partnership

Accra, Ghana — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is collaborating with Ghana to reinforce its Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs), which serve as central hubs for coordinating information, expertise, and resources during health crises.

Over the past two years, Africa CDC has provided Ghana with essential equipment, enhanced communication systems, upgraded data infrastructure, improved operational frameworks, and targeted workforce development initiatives focused on emergency preparedness and response.

A recent multi-day workshop gathered 50 national and subnational technical experts in Accra from September 21 to 25, aiming to enhance PHEOC operational management and strengthen the application of the Incident Management System (IMS), aligned with the 2022 Lusaka Call to Action on bolstering PHEOCs throughout Africa.

Attendees represented a broad spectrum of institutions, including the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health, veterinary and environmental services, immigration and port health units, local government bodies, emergency services, the military, and police forces. International partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENITrack), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and various civil society organizations were also present.

At the official opening session, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, emphasized that effective PHEOCs depend on more than just physical infrastructure and technology. He highlighted the necessity of clear governance structures, well-trained staff, sufficient funding, defined operational protocols, and ongoing performance evaluations.

“Our progress should not be measured merely by the quantity of PHEOCs built, strategic plans developed, equipment distributed, or personnel trained,” Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe stated. “True success lies in how seamlessly our systems integrate to predict risks, identify incidents early, evaluate threats, make swift decisions, allocate resources effectively, coordinate responses efficiently, and ultimately safeguard the health and well-being of every citizen in Ghana.”

The training program encompassed all five fundamental areas of PHEOC operations—command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration—under a formalized Incident Management System framework. Participants engaged in practical sessions covering emergency preparedness planning, information management, resource coordination, situation reporting mechanisms, standard operating procedures, and simulated emergency drills.

Dr. Mathew Tut Moses, Principal Programme Officer for Preparedness and Response at Africa CDC, praised Ghana’s proactive investment in public health emergency management and urged participants to propagate the knowledge acquired during the training to wider teams.

“Each one of you here today is a catalyst for change,” Dr. Moses noted. “These newly acquired skills must reach district-level teams, regional coordinators, and frontline workers who could not attend this training directly.”

Moving forward, the Africa CDC West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre has pledged continued support to help Ghana update its emergency response plans, strengthen PHEOC staffing models and surge capabilities, and implement additional simulation exercises. A key component of this initiative involves crafting a financially backed national strategy for sustained training and preparedness activities.

Africa CDC has encouraged both the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to maintain momentum by embedding mentoring programs, conducting routine simulation exercises, and fostering structured knowledge-sharing platforms. The competencies gained through this initiative are set to be cascaded down to district teams, subnational coordinators, and grassroots responders to ensure comprehensive nationwide readiness.

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