Ghana has begun 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), with a focus on strengthening regional health security, preparedness, and coordinated responses to public health emergencies.

The meeting brings together technical experts and key stakeholders to deliberate on major health security priorities, share expertise, and develop practical recommendations to improve disease surveillance and emergency preparedness across the West African region.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting on Tuesday, August 19, Minister for Health and Chairman of the Africa CDC Western Africa Regional Steering Committee (ReSCO), Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, described the gathering as timely, particularly as African countries intensify efforts to strengthen health systems, deepen regional cooperation, and advance health sovereignty.

He said lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola outbreaks, together with emerging threats such as mpox, Marburg, and antimicrobial resistance, had highlighted the need for stronger collaboration among African countries.

According to him, public health threats transcend national borders, making regional cooperation critical to ensuring that countries are able to detect, prevent, and respond effectively to outbreaks.

Mr Akandoh stressed the need for stronger cross-border surveillance systems, effective information sharing, resilient supply chains, and a well-trained public health workforce to improve the region's ability to respond to health emergencies.

He further reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory systems, genomic sequencing, and emergency preparedness.

He also highlighted the importance of promoting local production of essential medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics as part of efforts to build a more resilient and self-reliant health system on the continent.

The Minister urged members of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee to provide practical and scientifically sound recommendations that would strengthen the Western Africa Regional Coordinating Centre and improve the region's preparedness to respond swiftly and collectively to future health emergencies.

The two-day meeting is expected to provide a platform for participants to assess existing regional health security mechanisms, share technical expertise, and identify areas requiring greater coordination among countries and institutions.

Participants include technical experts from the 15 African Member States in the West African region, representatives of regional economic communities, key health partners, officials from the Africa CDC headquarters, and members of the Western Africa RCC Secretariat.

Their participation is expected to contribute to strengthening regional cooperation and building a coordinated approach to disease surveillance, preparedness, and response to public health emergencies across West Africa.

The meeting forms part of broader efforts by the Africa CDC and its regional partners to strengthen Africa's capacity to anticipate, detect, and respond to emerging and re-emerging health threats while promoting stronger regional ownership of health security.