The Ghana Health Service (GHS) yesterday opened a three-day prioritisation workshop on the agenda for developing the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) to strengthen the country’s preparedness for public health emergencies. 

The workshop, which brought together officials from agencies, development partners and technical institutions, marks the beginning of a new planning cycle aimed at enhancing the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to health threats in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

Opening the event, the Director-General of GHS, Dr Samuel Akoriyea Kaba, said the workshop was a significant milestone in the country’s health security journey.

He noted that the IHR 2005, a legally binding global framework, had guided the country’s steady progress in strengthening surveillance, response and preparedness systems over the years.

Dr Kaba stated that the country had demonstrated strong commitment by implementing all four components of the World Health Organisation’s IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, which includes State Party Annual Reporting (SPAR), Joint External Evaluation (JEE), After Action Reviews and Simulation Exercises, even though only one was mandatory.

He stressed that the move reflected the country’s determination to continuously improve its health security architecture.

He also outlined key areas of improvement achieved so far, including IHR coordination, surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, risk communication, community engagement and food safety.

However, he acknowledged that challenges persisted, particularly in sustainable financing for public health emergencies, availability of skilled human resources at subnational levels, and preparedness for chemical and radiation-related incidents.

Dr Kaba recalled that Ghana completed its second Joint External Evaluation in February last year, replacing the first assessment conducted in 2017.

“The earlier evaluation informed the country’s first National Action Plan for Health Security, implemented from 2019 to 2023. Achievements under that plan included the reactivation of the IHR coordination committee, strengthened rapid response teams, expanded infection prevention and control systems, nationwide scale-up of event-based surveillance, refurbishment of the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and the establishment of four subnational emergency operations centres, with plans to extend coverage to all 16 regions,” he noted.

The Director of Public Health at GHS, Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, said the current workshop marked the transition from identifying gaps to developing concrete and implementable plans.

He explained that the Joint External Evaluation had clearly outlined weaknesses in the system, and the focus now was to transform those gaps into prioritised and costed actions.

Asiedu-Bekoe then identified critical areas requiring attention, including ring-fenced funding for health security, improved laboratory networks and sample transportation systems, well-equipped points of entry, and enhanced capacity to manage nuclear and chemical events.

While the country’s preparedness had improved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, he stressed that health security remained a continuous process rather than a final destination.

Providing technical insight, the Infectious Hazard Management System lead at GHS, Mr Patrick Avevor, noted that the country had recorded measurable gains since the first JEE.

He revealed that about half of the country’s assessed technical areas were now rated at Level 3 capacity, compared to about 40 per cent previously, indicating progress but also the need for further improvement.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Fiona Braka, commended Ghana for its leadership and multisectoral approach.

She warned that emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, climate-related hazards, antimicrobial resistance and population mobility were placing increasing pressure on national systems, making preparedness a critical investment in resilience and sustainable development.