Ghana has commenced a two-day annual meeting of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee (ReTAC) of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Western Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (RCC), aimed at strengthening regional health security, preparedness and coordinated responses to public health emergencies.
The meeting brings together technical experts and health stakeholders to assess key health security priorities, share expertise and develop practical recommendations to improve disease surveillance and emergency preparedness across West Africa.
Opening the meeting, the Minister for Health and Chairman of the Africa CDC Western Africa Regional Steering Committee (ReSCO), Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, described the gathering as timely as African countries intensify efforts to strengthen health systems, deepen regional cooperation and advance health sovereignty.
He said the COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks, alongside emerging threats including mpox, Marburg and antimicrobial resistance, had demonstrated the need for stronger collaboration among African countries.
“Public health threats do not respect national borders,” he stressed, calling for greater regional coordination to enable countries to detect and respond to health emergencies more effectively.
Mr Akandoh identified cross-border disease surveillance, timely information sharing, resilient supply chains and a well-trained public health workforce as critical measures needed to improve the region’s preparedness.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory systems, genomic sequencing and emergency preparedness.
The Minister also underscored the importance of promoting local production of essential medicines, vaccines and diagnostics as part of efforts to build stronger and more self-reliant health systems across the continent.
He urged members of ReTAC to produce practical and scientifically sound recommendations that would strengthen the Western Africa RCC and enhance the region’s ability to respond swiftly and collectively to future health emergencies.
The meeting has attracted technical experts from the 15 African Member States in the West African Region, representatives of regional economic communities, health partners, the Africa CDC headquarters and the Western Africa RCC Secretariat.
Their deliberations are expected to contribute to stronger regional cooperation, improved disease surveillance and enhanced preparedness for public health emergencies across West Africa.
