Work programme _ cost estimate national PACE programme of Ghana for the period May 2003 TO April 2004.

Rinderpest disease resurfaced in Ghana in 1985 after earlier attempts to eradicate it from West Africa through the JP15 project. Ghana continued annual vaccinations of cattle against rinderpest until 1996 even though the last outbreak oft he disease was reported i n August 1988. The sustained vaccination campaign was made possible through the assistance received from the European Union under the Pan African Rinderpest Campaign project (PARC). Ghana was granted rinderpest disease free status on 25 th February 2003 by the OIE The main objectives of Pan African Programme for the control of Epizootics (PACE) are i. to contribute to rural development and poverty alleviation by raising the incomes of livestock producers, particularly those of smallholders, ii. to reduce the country's increasing dependence on imports of livestock and livestock products, and to reduce the financial burden on the government of services it provides The specific objectives of PACE, Ghana in the third year are: i. to strengthen livestock farmers associations ii. to increase the income of farmers through adequate disease control measures iii. to improve on the participation of the private sector to bring about effective and efficient animal health delivery in the country iv. to strengthen two main laboratories in Accra and Pong-Tamale for effective and accurate disease diagnoses v. to strengthen women groups in livestock areas to be more active in livestock development Outputs of objectives • Meetings with 20 farmers associations in the Upper West and Upper East regions formed under PARC reactivated and functional December 2003 • Out breaks of PPR and NCD c ontrolled and farmers e am more incomes from s ales o f chicken and small ruminants by January 2004 • Private veterinarians involved in disease surveillance and reporting by March 2004 • Laboratories in Accra and Pong-Tamale equipped with computers and reagents for disease diagnoses by March 2004 • 20 women groups facilitated to improve rural poultry production by April 2004