Despite Ghana’s success in eliminating Guinea worm, trachoma and Human African Trypanosomiasis, about 12 million people remain at risk of contracting Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), the Ghana National Consortium on NTDs (Ghac-NTDs) has warned.

The Consortium, made up of civil society organisations (CSOs) and health advocates, said 14 out of the 21 recognised NTDs were still present in the country, largely driven by poverty, poor sanitation and limited access to health care.

World NTDs Day

The concerns were raised in a communiqué issued and jointly signed by the National Chairman, Dr Peter Ndonwie, and the National Secretary of the Ghana National Consortium on NTDs, Jonathan Adabre Atia, last Friday to mark the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026.

The day is being observed globally on the theme: “Unite, Act, Eliminate NTDs and related diseases”.

The Ghac-NTDs stated that current efforts to combat NTDs in Ghana remained largely fragmented and uncoordinated, undermining the national goal of eliminating all NTDs by 2030.

While acknowledging the leadership shown by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health, the consortium said civil society actors continued to face challenges that limited their meaningful participation in national and sub-national NTD interventions.

“These diseases thrive where coordination is weak and communities are left out,” the statement noted.

Barriers    

The Consortium identified several obstacles confronting CSOs working at the community level, including limited access to information, with critical data on disease prevalence and resource allocation not transparently shared with frontline organisations.

It also indicated that top-down decision-making, where policy formulation often excluded community-led perspectives and “ground truth” evidence from affected areas, was another major barrier.

“Financial constraints, as inadequate budgetary allocations for NTDs at national and district levels have left the response heavily dependent on dwindling external donor funding,” it added.

Call for collaborative approach

To reverse the trend, Ghac-NTDs called on the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Health and the GHS, to adopt a more inclusive and collaborative approach.

A key demand is the formal integration of CSOs into the Intra-Country Coordinating Committee (ICCC) at the national, regional and district levels to facilitate joint planning,    implementation, and monitoring of NTD programmes.

The consortium also urged the government to fast-track the operationalisation of the End NTDs Fund, announced in 2025, with clear and transparent mechanisms to allow CSOs to directly access resources for community-led interventions.

“This fund is critical to reducing over-reliance on donors and sustaining Ghana’s NTD response,” the statement stressed.

Another major recommendation was the creation of a shared digital surveillance platform that would enables real-time data exchange between government health facilities and CSO field teams, emphasising that improved data sharing would enhance early detection, targeted interventions and accountability in NTD control efforts.

Ghac-NTDs further called for a shift from vertical, drug-only interventions to a more person-centred and integrated primary healthcare approach.

That, it said, should include disability management, mental health support, community rehabilitation and deliberate efforts to address stigma faced by people already affected by NTDs.

Reaffirming its commitment, the consortium said it was ready to deploy its nationwide network of experienced members, volunteers and community advocates to support the Ghana NTD Sustainability Plan (2023–2026).

“Elimination is not just a dream, it is a realistic target within reach if we act together,” the statement said.