The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has handed over vehicles, laboratory reagents and other critical logistics to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to strengthen Ghana’s veterinary surveillance system and improve the country’s preparedness against animal disease outbreaks that threaten food security, public health and rural livelihoods.
The support, presented in Accra on Monday, marks the first batch of logistics under the World Bank-funded Pandemic Fund Programme, which seeks to improve early disease detection and rapid response capabilities across the country.
The intervention forms part of the Strengthening Systems for Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Ghana project, which is designed to enhance Ghana’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to animal and zoonotic diseases using the One Health approach.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the FAO Representative and Senior Regional Resilience Officer, Madam Priya Gujadhur, said the project focuses on strengthening veterinary services, improving laboratory systems and expanding disease surveillance to enhance Ghana’s pandemic preparedness.
She noted that Ghana is benefiting from more than US$16 million under the World Bank-hosted Pandemic Fund, with FAO and the World Health Organization jointly implementing the programme.
According to her, the project will provide 24 four-wheel-drive vehicles, 216 motorcycles, nearly 300 information technology devices, laboratory reagents and consumables, personal protective equipment, while also supporting the rehabilitation of six veterinary laboratories across the country.
Madam Gujadhur explained that the first phase of the programme includes Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles, motorcycles, laptops and field sampling materials to improve field surveillance and disease reporting.
She disclosed that about 175 veterinary personnel and wildlife officers have already received training in real-time disease surveillance, reporting and laboratory diagnosis to strengthen Ghana’s frontline response to animal disease outbreaks.
She cautioned that diseases such as avian influenza, peste des petits ruminants, foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever continue to pose significant threats to Ghana’s livestock sector.
According to her, livestock contributes about 15 per cent of Ghana’s agricultural gross domestic product and supports the livelihoods of more than 60 per cent of rural households, making investments in disease prevention critical to safeguarding the sector.
Madam Gujadhur reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to working closely with the Veterinary Services Directorate to strengthen surveillance systems, laboratory diagnosis, rapid response mechanisms and workforce development.
She said the investments would help protect animal health, safeguard public health and improve the resilience of farming communities against future disease outbreaks.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, described the support as timely and important, saying it would significantly strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory diagnosis and emergency response to animal diseases across the country.
He said the intervention complements the FAO Event Mobile Application Plus launched last year to improve disease reporting and surveillance systems.
Mr Opoku stressed that strong veterinary surveillance and laboratory systems are essential to preventing future pandemics, noting that early detection remains one of the most effective ways to contain disease outbreaks before they spread.
“Early detection and rapid response to animal diseases help protect livestock, safeguard farmer incomes, strengthen food systems and reduce the risk of diseases spreading to humans,” he said.
The Minister assured FAO and other development partners that the vehicles, laboratory equipment and other logistics would be properly maintained and deployed for their intended purpose.
He also urged veterinary officers to make effective use of the new resources to strengthen disease monitoring, protect livestock production and enhance Ghana’s resilience against future outbreaks.
The latest investment is expected to improve veterinary field operations, strengthen laboratory capacity and support faster disease detection and response, helping to protect Ghana’s livestock industry, food security and public health.
