The visit forms part of activities to inspect completed and ongoing projects funded by the Japanese government in Ghana.

Ambassador Mr. Takashi Akahori, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said the project was an evidence of the bilateral cooperation between Ghana, Japan, and multinational organisations, particularly the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

He said the cooperation between countries and multinational organisations was key to better preparedness against any global health pandemics, including COVID-19.

"We have to keep working together; the whole international community is working towards better preparedness when a next pandemic hits. We cannot be complacent, and we cannot certainly say we are ready. We have to keep on trying to be effectively prepared" he said.

DrPatrick Kuma Aboagye, Director General (DG), Ghana Health Service, said Kotoka International Airport's (KIA) laboratory would strengthen Ghana's pandemic response to emergencies and facilitate early detection and timely linkage to care.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the field visit by the government official from Japan at the KIA, the DG said the labs would strengthen Ghana's port health infrastructure and support the management of public health emergencies.

"The labs are also part of Ghana's public health reference lab infrastructure and will go a long way in strengthening our pandemic preparedness and response. For now, these labs will support clinical services as well as public health investigations, including the screening of epidemic-prone conditions like cholera, foodborne illness, and meningitis," he said.

The KIA laboratory strengthens the capacity of Ghana's health system to support early detection and swift management of COVID-19 and other public health risks.

The KIA laboratory, which was funded by the Japanese governmentis one of the four other labs that have been built at major entry points in Ghana, notably the Aflao, Elubo, and Paga borders.

All the mobile labs have been handed over to the Ghana Health Service.

Mr. Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Deputy Resident for the United Nations Development Programme, said in an interview with the media on the sidelines

of the event that the laboratory network had seen an expansion with the provision of four P3 labs and four labs situated at key points of entry.

He said the project activities had contributed to a more robust and resilient health system equipped to support the continuity of essential health services and enhanced the capacities of vulnerable communities to take up available essential health services.