The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with Ghana’s Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) and with support from the Pandemic Fund, has launched the third cohort of the Frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) in Ghana. The programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of frontline veterinary professionals to prevent, detect, and respond to animal health threats, safeguarding livelihoods, public health, and food safety.
Over a four-month period, trainees gain practical experience in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and emergency response, while developing skills across 14 core veterinary epidemiology competencies. The programme also promotes One Health collaboration, mentorship-based sustainable training systems, and stronger networks among stakeholders to improve preparedness against emerging infectious and transboundary animal diseases. The 2025 cohort, hosted in Koforidua in the Eastern Region, includes 25 trainees from Ghana and two from The Gambia, highlighting ISAVET’s growing regional reach and commitment to cross-border collaboration.
Garba Ahmed, country team lead for the FAO Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Disease, emphasized that strengthening veterinary epidemiology capacity is critical for early disease detection and effective response. The programme supports the building of resilient animal health systems that protect livelihoods, food security, and public health. Danso Fenteng, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer of Ghana, added that ISAVET equips veterinary officers with practical, field-based epidemiological skills, enhancing Ghana’s preparedness for animal and zoonotic disease threats.
ISAVET combines classroom instruction with field-based practical assignments, enabling participants to directly apply epidemiological concepts and tools within their professional settings. The programme begins with four weeks of intensive classroom training covering 40 modules on surveillance, outbreak investigation, and emergency response, followed by three months of mentored, home-based field projects. During fieldwork, trainees develop projects addressing local animal health priorities and present their findings to district authorities. This blended learning approach ensures that knowledge gained translates into tangible improvements in frontline animal health services.
The programme aligns closely with national and regional priorities, including animal health management, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and pandemic preparedness. By equipping frontline veterinary professionals with practical skills, ISAVET supports early detection and rapid response to animal disease threats, reduces the risk of zoonotic disease spillover, and contributes to resilient animal health systems. In doing so, it advances the One Health agenda, fostering coordinated action across animal, human, and environmental health sectors, and strengthening Ghana’s and the wider region’s collective capacity to safeguard animal health, public health, food security, and livelihoods.
