The Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s Veterinary Services Directorate, in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), launched a digital application for animal disease surveillance and reporting.

The Event-based Mobile Application Plus (EMA-i+), which was introduced in Accra, is a nationwide digital tool for disease surveillance and reporting in domestic animals, wildlife, aquatic animals, and bees.

EMA-i+ is intended to strengthen decision-making in developing nations by promoting timely information exchange among all stakeholders, frontline animal health, and veterinary authorities at all levels.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, said the innovation marked a significant milestone in the country’s journey to strengthen animal health surveillance, enhance early warning systems, and improve disease notification across the country.

“In today’s interconnected world, animal diseases do not respect borders, and zoonotic diseases pose risks not only to livestock but also to human lives and livelihoods.

“It is therefore imperative that we equip ourselves with modern tools to detect, respond to, and recover swiftly from these threats,” he said.