By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Jan. 30, GNA – The Ghana National Consortium on Neglected Tropical Diseases (Ghac-NTDs) has called on the Government to urgently operationalise the “End NTDs Fund” announced in 2025.
The Consortium, made of coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and health advocates committed to addressing the burden and eradicating NTDs in Ghana, warned that delays could undermine Ghana’s quest to eliminate NTDs by 2030.
The demand was contained in a press statement, signed by Dr Peter Ndonwie, the National Chairman of Ghac-NTDs and Mr Jonathan Adabre Atia, the National Secretary of Ghac-NTDs and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga as activities marking the 2026 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day.
The day was marked under the global theme, “Unite, Act, Eliminate NTDs and related diseases”.
NTDs are group of infectious diseases that primarily affect the skin, causing chronic illness, disability, disfigurement and stigma, particularly in poor and marginalised communities in tropica and subtropical regions.
The World Health Organisation, currently recognises 21 diseases including Buruli ulcer, elephantiasis, yaws, leprosy, foodborne trematodiases, among others
It was against this backdrop that in December, 2025, the government through the Ministry of Health in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders announced the Fund as part of strengthening the integration of primary healthcare services and securing long-term and sustainable funding for the elimination of these diseases in Ghana.
The statement said sustained underfunding and overreliance on dwindling donor support continued to threaten progress, despite Ghana’s notable success in eliminating Guinea worm, trachoma and Human African Trypanosomiasis.
The statement noted that 14 out of the 21 recognised NTDs were still endemic in the country, placing more than 12 million Ghanaians at risk, particularly in poor and underserved communities.
“The fight against NTDs in Ghana is almost entirely dependent on external donor funding,” the Consortium said, stressing that inadequate budgetary allocations at national and district levels had weakened community-based prevention, surveillance and care.
The statement therefore urged the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to fast-track the implementation of the End NTDs Fund, with clear and transparent mechanisms that would allow CSOs to directly access resources for community-led interventions.
According to the statement, CSOs played a critical role in reaching last-mile populations but were often sidelined by financial and institutional barriers.
Beyond financing, the Consortium called for broader reforms, including the formal integration of CSOs into the Intra-Country Coordinating Committee (ICCC) at all levels, improved data sharing through a national digital surveillance platform, and a shift towards person-centred care that addresses disability, mental health and stigma associated with NTDs.
The statement said the Consortium was ready to support the Ghana NTD Sustainability Plan (2023–2026) with its nationwide network of member organisations and community volunteers.
“We believe that elimination is not just a dream but a target within reach, if we act together”, it said.
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is observed annually on January 30 to raise awareness and mobilise action against diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest populations.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Kenneth Odeng Adade