By Ghana News

Copyright ghanamma

Executive Summary

Ghana, like much of the world, has endured the devastating shocks of COVID-19 and faced the looming threat of Ebola. Lives were lost, businesses collapsed, poverty deepened, and fiscal resilience was tested.

Yet, as the world moves on, the question remains: Have we truly learned? This article examines Ghana’s pandemic readiness through the lens of COVID-19 and Ebola – highlighting the economic, social, and governance impacts, evaluating existing measures, and proposing actionable strategies to ensure Ghana is “trigger-ready” for the next global health emergency.

INTRODUCTION: The Global Wake-Up Call

The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, quickly became one of the most devastating global health crises in modern history. By May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that over 6.9 million people had died worldwide, with more than 760 million confirmed cases reported (WHO, 2023).

The global economy suffered a contraction of 3.3% in 2020, wiping out nearly $10 trillion in economic output (IMF, 2021). Millions lost their jobs, businesses folded, and global poverty rates rose for the first time in decades.

Before COVID-19, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) had already demonstrated Africa’s vulnerability to epidemics. Between 2014 and 2016, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed over 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (CDC, 2019).

The World Bank estimated a staggering $2.8 billion loss in GDP across these countries due to the disruption of trade, healthcare systems, and labour markets (World Bank, 2016).

Both pandemics exposed the fragility of health systems, governance structures, and economic resilience across developing nations, with Ghana included.

GHANA’S EXPERIENCE: LOCAL IMPACT OF GLOBAL PANDEMICS

COVID-19 in Ghana

Ghana recorded its first two COVID-19 cases on March 12, 2020 (Ghana Health Service, 2020). By early 2023, total confirmed cases had surpassed 171,000, with 1,462 deaths (GHS, 2023). The government implemented strict lockdowns, border closures, and restrictions on movement, all of which, though necessary, crippled livelihoods and businesses.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS, 2021), nearly 770,000 workers experienced job losses or pay cuts in 2020, with 26% of businesses reporting revenue declines exceeding 50%.

The World Bank (2022) reported that Ghana’s GDP growth fell from 6.5% in 2019 to 0.4% in 2020, pushing an estimated 850,000 Ghanaians into poverty.

Government spending surged – COVID-related expenditures exceeded GHS 21 billion, while revenue collection dropped sharply due to reduced business activity (Ministry of Finance, 2021).

Ebola and Ghana’s Proximity Risk

Though Ghana never recorded a confirmed Ebola case, its proximity to affected countries made it highly vulnerable. In 2014, suspected cases were reported in Kumasi and Tamale, which were later declared negative (GHS, 2014).

Nonetheless, Ghana incurred high preparedness costs – deploying surveillance teams, equipping isolation centres, and training over 2,000 health workers (MoH, 2015).

The Ebola scare disrupted trade within West Africa, reduced cross-border commerce, and diverted government attention and resources to emergency preparedness at a time when development funding was already stretched.

A RECURRENCE THREAT: COULD THESE PANDEMICS RETURN?

The possibility of resurgence remains real. Globally, new strains of COVID-19 continue to emerge – including Omicron subvariants detected as recently as 2025 in parts of Asia and Europe (WHO, 2025).

In Ghana, traces of COVID-19 were detected at the University of Ghana campus in 2023, prompting renewed concern (GHS, 2023). Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have reported fresh Ebola outbreaks in 2024, reminding the region that the virus remains active (WHO, 2024).

These developments underscore one fact: Pandemics are cyclical, and complacency is dangerous. Ghana must therefore remain in a state of continuous readiness.

MEASURES GHANA HAS PUT IN PLACE

Since 2020, Ghana has made notable progress in strengthening its pandemic preparedness. Measures include:

Establishment of the National COVID-19 Taskforce and Presidential Coordinating Committee to guide response and resource allocation (Government of Ghana, 2020).

Upgrading of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and KCCR for improved testing capacity.

Procurement and deployment of vaccines under the COVAX initiative, with over 25 million doses administered as of 2023 (GHS, 2023).

Expansion of the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC) – a state-of-the-art 100-bed facility built through public-private collaboration.

Development of the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), aligned with WHO’s International Health Regulations framework.

Digital contact tracing and health surveillance systems under the Ghana Health Service.

Community sensitization and engagement campaigns with support from CSOs, religious bodies, and the media.

These are commendable efforts, but the question is: Are they being sustained?

In addition to national surveillance systems, testing capacities, and vaccination campaigns, Ghana’s border and entry-point management remains a critical component of pandemic preparedness.

The country maintains Port Health Units across airports, seaports, and key land borders that conduct health screenings, disinfection, and documentation checks for all travellers.

Digital advancements such as biometric e-immigration gates, electronic visas, and digital health certification systems have enhanced monitoring and reduced identity fraud at major entry points.

Ghana also participates actively in Africa CDC’s Cross-Border Surveillance Framework and WHO’s Points of Entry programs, which provide standard operating procedures, training, and real-time disease alert mechanisms.

However, border porosity remains a persistent vulnerability. Numerous unofficial crossings along Ghana’s western, northern, and eastern frontiers often lack surveillance infrastructure, leaving significant detection gaps.

While airports and seaports are relatively well-equipped, many land entry points struggle with limited staff capacity, inadequate diagnostic tools, and inconsistent data linkage between health and immigration agencies. These gaps could undermine national containment efforts during future outbreaks.

THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS

How effective are these measures today? Are they still operational, funded, and monitored or have they become dormant post-COVID?

What monitoring and evaluation structures exist? Is there real-time data review, or do agencies rely on outdated systems?

What challenges do implementers face? Reports of underfunded laboratories, delayed logistics, and outdated emergency protocols raise red flags (WHO Ghana, 2023).

How informed is the citizenry? Public awareness appears to have waned. Many Ghanaians now see pandemics as “past events,” not ongoing risks.

Is Parliament exercising its oversight role? How proactive is the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Health in reviewing pandemic preparedness budgets and actions?

These are questions of accountability and not just for the Ministry of Health, but for every arm of government entrusted with public safety in the health space.

How financially resilient is Ghana’s economy against future pandemics? Does the national budget currently make adequate contingency provisions for pandemic-related disruptions to trade, revenue, and employment?

What mechanisms exist to sustain critical industries during health crises? How will sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and food supply chains be supported if lockdowns or cross-border restrictions recur?

Are our fiscal buffers sufficient? Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio surpassed 90% in the post-COVID recovery period (IMF, 2023). What is the plan for maintaining fiscal stability while preserving capacity to respond swiftly to emergencies?

How is the financial sector being integrated into pandemic preparedness? Have the Bank of Ghana and Ministry of Finance developed frameworks for liquidity support, credit relief, or SME recovery grants in the event of another economic shutdown?

What local production capacities have been developed since COVID-19? Did we use the lessons from global supply chain disruptions to invest in domestic production of essential goods such as PPEs, pharmaceuticals, and sanitizers?

How well-coordinated are government, private sector, and donor financial responses? Are there clear accountability structures for the use of emergency funds and post-crisis recovery budgets?

Given the strategic role of borders in national disease defence, several key questions must be posed:

How comprehensive and effective are current screening and health surveillance systems at our airports, seaports, and land borders?

What is the actual level of border porosity, and how can the movement through informal crossings be systematically monitored without hindering trade?

How robust and interoperable are the data systems linking immigration, customs, and public health authorities for real-time threat detection?

What mechanisms exist to ensure continuous funding and maintenance of screening infrastructure and diagnostic capacity at all points of entry?

How are border communities being engaged to report suspected cases or cooperate with health officials?

In what ways is Parliament’s Health Committee and National Security apparatus exercising oversight on cross-border health preparedness, and how often are public updates issued?

THE SOLUTION: BUILDING TRIGGER-READY PREPAREDNESS

To ensure resilience, Ghana can draw lessons from international best practices:

Rwanda has institutionalized emergency simulation exercises twice yearly to test its health response system (WHO Africa, 2023).

Singapore maintains a Pandemic Preparedness and Response Fund with ring-fenced annual contributions (Singapore MoH, 2023).

South Korea uses real-time digital epidemiology platforms linking hospitals, laboratories, and border control.

For Ghana, the following are critical steps:

Legislate a permanent Pandemic Preparedness Fund, managed transparently under parliamentary oversight.

Institutionalize national emergency simulations every year to test response systems.

Invest in rapid research and genome sequencing capacity at NMIMR and KCCR.

Empower local governments to include epidemic readiness in their annual development plans.

Strengthen partnerships among CSOs, faith-based organizations, traditional leaders, and the private sector.

Sustain community education, ensuring every Ghanaian understands their role in prevention and response.

Establish a National Economic Resilience and Recovery Fund (NERRF): Modelled after Singapore’s Pandemic Preparedness and Response Fund and South Korea’s Emergency Economic Stabilization Fund, Ghana can ring-fence annual budget allocations for pandemic-related economic stabilization, ensuring quick financial deployment when crises hit.

Develop an Integrated Economic Continuity Framework: The Ministry of Finance, NDPC, and key industry associations should co-develop a national framework that outlines how production, logistics, and trade should continue under restricted conditions – learning from Rwanda and South Korea’s adaptive continuity models.

Strengthen Domestic Production Capacity: Incentivize private sector investment in pharmaceuticals, PPE manufacturing, food processing, and logistics hubs. Pandemic-ready economies like India and Vietnam leveraged local manufacturing to protect supply chains and sustain employment.

Build Fiscal Buffers and Emergency Credit Facilities: The Bank of Ghana should collaborate with commercial banks to design pre-approved liquidity support instruments and SME stabilization loans, ready for activation during national emergencies.

Institutionalize Public-Private Coordination Platforms: Establish an Economic Preparedness Council comprising representatives from government, industry, finance, and CSOs – ensuring real-time consultation and coordination during crises.

Adopt Real-Time Data Systems for Economic Monitoring: Deploy digital dashboards that track business performance, trade flows, and employment trends during emergencies, enabling evidence-based policy interventions (similar to Kenya’s COVID-19 business tracker).

Encourage Community-Level Economic Resilience: Promote district-level cooperatives and microcredit schemes to cushion informal sector workers, who constitute over 70% of Ghana’s labour force and are most vulnerable during shutdowns.

Enhance Transparency and Accountability in Emergency Spending: Institutionalize open data portals for publishing all pandemic-related fiscal activities – mirroring best practices from New Zealand’s COVID-19 Expenditure Tracker – to build trust and ensure efficient fund use.

Drawing from international best practices and technological innovations, Ghana can strengthen its border resilience through the following measures:

Integrated Border Command: Establish permanent Health–Immigration fusion units at all major airports, seaports, and strategic land borders to enable joint surveillance, data sharing, and rapid response.

Digital Health Credentialing: Implement interoperable digital vaccine and testing verification systems (such as Africa CDC’s Trusted Travel platform) linked with e-immigration databases for seamless traveller clearance.

Informal Crossing Control: Map and monitor all high-traffic informal entry routes using GIS tools, mobile screening units, and community health volunteers to plug existing detection gaps.

Technology-Enabled Surveillance: Deploy solar-powered sensors, CCTV, and drones to enhance visibility along porous borders, particularly in the Upper East, Upper West, and Western corridors.

Regional Harmonisation: Champion an ECOWAS-wide mutual recognition protocol for digital health documents and standardised border health procedures to minimise loopholes.

Real-Time Data Integration: Develop a National Points of Entry Dashboard linking immigration, customs, and health data to the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) for early warning alerts.

Sustainable Funding Mechanism: Create a ring-fenced emergency budget line for border health surveillance under the national preparedness fund to ensure continuity beyond donor cycles.

Citizen & Community Involvement: Partner with chiefs, traders, faith-based groups, and transport unions in border towns to sustain awareness, compliance, and early reporting of health threats.

Continuous Audits & Simulations: Conduct annual multi-agency drills at major points of entry to test response speed, coordination, and system integrity.

CONCLUSION: A CALL TO ACTION

Ghana’s greatest wealth lies not only in its natural resources but in the health, productivity, and resilience of its people. To protect our lives, economy, and collective progress, we must be both health-ready and economically-ready. The cost of preparedness is far smaller than the cost of national paralysis when crisis strikes.

COVID-19 and Ebola proved that pandemics do not just test health systems – they test economic discipline, governance integrity, and social cohesion. They expose fiscal weaknesses, disrupt livelihoods, and deepen inequality. Each outbreak challenges our ability to protect jobs, stabilize prices, and sustain growth.

Preparedness must therefore go beyond stockpiling medical supplies or upgrading laboratories. It must include stabilization funds, cross-ministerial coordination, private sector resilience, and social protection systems that activate automatically when disruptions occur.

The next pandemic is not a question of if, but when. Ghana’s readiness must therefore evolve from speeches and contingency documents to sustained, monitored, and funded action; across the health, economic, and governance spectrum.

The real opportunity for Ghanaians to transform their livelihoods lies first in the opportunity to stay alive, stay productive, and stay economically secure. Pandemic preparedness is not just a public health necessity; it is a national development, economic resilience, and political accountability imperative.

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Ghana Health Service (GHS). (2014). Ebola Preparedness and Response Report.

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Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). (2021). COVID-19 Business Tracker Survey Report.

International Monetary Fund (IMF). (2021). World Economic Outlook: Managing Divergent Recoveries.

Ministry of Finance (MoF). (2021). Fiscal Impact of COVID-19 in Ghana.

Ministry of Health (MoH). (2015). Ebola Preparedness Plan.

Singapore Ministry of Health (MoH). (2023). Pandemic Preparedness and Response Strategy.

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