Building Workforce Capacity for Emergeny Operations

Public Health Emergency Operations Centers (PHEOCs) serve as central hubs for coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. In Ghana, the establishment of PHEOCs at national and regional levels has significantly enhanced the country’s ability to detect, respond to, and manage health emergencies. While significant progress has been made in strengthening emergency preparedness, there are opportunities to further enhance technical capacity, operational coordination and resource mobilization at various levels. Training on the fundamental principles of emergency operations, incident management, and decision-making processes during public health crises helps to equip PHEOC staff with the skills needed to manage emergencies more effectively.

From April 14th – 16th, 2025, a workshop was held to strengthen the capacities of 35 public health officers involved in emergency preparedness and response at the regional and national levels in the country. The training aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of  PHEOC functions, improve coordination mechanisms, and build operational readiness for effective emergency management.

This three-day training introduced participants to key concepts related to PHEOC structure, activation protocols, information management, incident command systems, and inter-agency coordination. Through a combination of presentations, group exercises, and scenario-based simulations, participants developed practical skills required to support decision-making, maintain situational awareness and enhance management and response to public health emergencies.

Overall, the training was successful in achieving its objectives and identified key areas for ongoing capacity-building and system strengthening.