Pan-African programme for the control of epizootics Ghana national project.

Ghana joined the international programme for the control of rinderpest code named Pan African Rinderpest Campaign (PARC) in 1992. At the end of PARC in March 1999, there were still important milestones in the OIE pathway to be cleared before Ghana could be declared free from rinderpest. The PACE (Pan African Programme for the Control of Epizootics) being sponsored by the European Union came in at the right time to enable Ghana to complete the rinderpest eradication programme and to tackle other epizootics in the country such as contagious bovine pleuro pneumonia (CBPP). Ghana is among 32 African countries participating in PACE. Under the PACE programme the country will have the necessary logistic support to conduct serosurveillance for stomatitis-enteritis complex, and where necessary send specimens to world reference laboratories for definitive diagnosis of rinderpest. This is in line with the OIE pathway of declaring Ghana free from rinderpset virus. Ghana will also participate in regional workshops in economics, epidemiology, wildlife epidemiology, and communications under the common services of PACE. The overall objective for the programme is to increase the livestock producer incomes, especially of the small holders, to reduce the country's dependence on imports of livestock and livestock products and to reduce the financial burden on the government of services to the livestock sub-sector. The Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is the implementing agency and coverage shall be nation-wide covering a five-year period starting from October 2000 to October 2005. Ghana has the capacity to implement the PACE programme considering its present level of staff in the 110 districts in the country. For the five years a total amount of Euro 996,890 shall be used. This amount will be used to enhance national capacity, improve veterinary services, fight against rinderpest, and control other epizootics in the country. The Project Co-ordinator for Ghana National PACE Programme is Dr. Samuel Achaw Ofosu. The National Authorising Officer is Mr. Griffiths Danso Apatu of the Ministry of Finance.