Countering infectious diseases is key to developing our livestock sector - Dr. Bryan Acheampong

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the UK Government and the Ghanaian government aims to enhance global health security by addressing the spill-over of zoonotic infections from animals to humans, which is the primary cause of emerging infectious diseases.

This initiative will contribute to preventing preventable deaths by improving preparedness and response to emerging diseases in the livestock sector.

The UK Minister of State for Development and Africa, Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP, expressed hope that Ghana and the sub-region will benefit from this project and integrate animal health systems into their health security framework.

Dr. Bryan expressed gratitude for the support and assured that all key actors will work collaboratively to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The Ghana component of the project commenced in March 2023 and in the first 10 months of implementation, the project has built the core competencies of 467 veterinary staff to better detect, protect, and respond to known and emerging animal diseases, including salmonella, rabies, and diseases of fish. Over 228 communities have benefitted from the project interventions to date.

The AHSS is a £5m multi-year (2022-2025) technical partnership ODA project, currently operating in Ghana, Zambia and The Gambia. It aims to protect against public health threats by tackling disease threats at source whilst helping to increase livestock productivity and improve livelihoods, especially for the rural poor and women. It also seeks to leverage further investment by Ghana in animal health systems.

Emmunuel Allegye-Cudjoe, Ag. The director of the Veterinary services underscored the importance of animal health, he expressed worry over the emergence and reemergence of zoonotic diseases in the country and subregion.

He called for awareness creation and public education, especially on Biosafety.