The government, through the Ministry of Health, has launched a state-of-the-art Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, equipped with cutting-edge ICT equipment donated by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The centre will serve as a hub for coordinating emergency responses to public health threats, enabling real-time data-driven decision-making and enhancing the country's preparedness and response capabilities.

Speaking at the official handing over ceremony in Accra, Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, expressed his excitement about the initiative, highlighting its potential to deepen the country's emergency response capabilities.

"This will help us to be able to make decisions that are driven by data and that are backed by science," he said.

The centre will facilitate cross-border collaboration, allowing Ghana to learn from other countries and respond to emergencies more effectively.

Mr Akandoh emphasised the government's commitment to sustaining the centre, ensuring it achieves its purpose and contributes to the country's emergency preparedness and response efforts.

The Africa CDC has been supporting Ghana in strengthening its public health infrastructure, including providing equipment, capacity building, surveillance, training, and research.

The new centre is equipped with a dashboard that will enable the Ministry to detect and respond to health threats promptly, advising the President accordingly.

Dr. Kokou Nouwame Ahinon, Regional Director of the Western Africa Regional Coordinating Centre of the Africa CDC, also emphasised the importance of emergency preparedness and response, saying, "Emergency preparedness and response is part of the core value, the core function of Africa CDC."

The Africa CDC is working with member states to implement the 7-1-7 target, which aims to detect outbreaks within seven days, notify authorities within one day, and organise an early response within seven days.

"This equipment will allow Ghana to be connected to the district level, regional level, and central level, and also to be connected to other member states," Dr. Ahinon said.