Ghana News

Accra, Ghana – The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohammed Yakubu Janabi, have commenced an official visit to Ghana from 4–6 August 2025.

Sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) have no place in development or health programming. Beyond the personal toll on survivors, such violations erode trust, compromise results, and undermine the very systems meant to serve the vulnerable. That’s why strengthening the capacity of programme officers to identify, prevent, and respond to SEAH is not just important—it’s essential.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide—despite being almost entirely preventable.

For the first time since 2007, Ghana is rolling out a nationwide training to strengthen the leadership and technical skills of mid-level and operational level immunization officers.

Ghana continues to make impressive strides in the fight against poliovirus, with the last confirmed case of Wild Poliovirus (WPV) recorded in 2008 and the most recent Variant Poliovirus (VDPV) detected in 2024. As the number of confirmed polio cases and detection of the virus in the environment decline steadily, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners remain committed in minimizing the risk of reintroduction of poliovirus. 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in health systems around the world—laying bare the urgent need for stronger investments in pandemic preparedness and response. For Ghana, it served as both a wake-up call and a powerful opportunity: a call to reimagine and rebuild a more resilient, inclusive, and responsive health system that can detect and address emerging health threats before they escalate into crises.

As Ghana faces a rising tide of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the need for early prevention and evidence-based interventions has never been more urgent. In recent years, conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers have been on the rise — many linked to unhealthy behaviours that begin in childhood and adolescence.

Public Health Emergencies are increasingly becoming complex and frequent and complex, often driven by a convergence of factors including disease outbreaks, climate-related events, technological hazards, and environmental degradation. In such a landscape, effective emergency response depends on coordinated, multi-sectoral efforts grounded in accurate, real-time information.

As Ghana prepares to introduce the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis B birth dose (HepB-BD) vaccines into its routine immunization schedule by the end of 2025, efforts are underway to ensure the public is not only informed but also confident in these life-saving interventions.