The Countdown to 2030 dissemination workshop, held on July 31, 2025 at AH Hotel in Accra, convened stakeholders from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ministry of Health (MOH), University of Ghana School of Public Health (UG-SPH), University of Southampton, the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), and the Global Financing Facility (GFF) to share findings and progress of work done on Countdown to 2030 initiative in 2024 and 2025.
The workshop aimed to disseminate recent analyses and insights on Ghana’s progress in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N), as well as in other areas such as immunisation and the causes of malaria-related deaths. The event highlighted Ghana’s successes, persistent gaps, and opportunities for data-informed improvements in the health sector.
The dissemination commenced with opening remarks from the leadership of the Ghana Health Service and key institutional partners, including the Acting Deputy Director-General of GHS, the Dean of the UG School of Public Health, and representatives from GFF and MOH. These statements emphasised the value of evidence-based planning, inter-institutional collaboration, and data equity, while applauding Ghana’s commitment to driving RMNCAH+N outcomes through innovation and local ownership.
Core presentations covered:
- An overview of Ghana’s evolution and the scope of the Countdown to 2030
- Family planning discontinuation trends based on 2014 and 2022 DHS data
- Long-term maternal mortality trends using facility, survey, and census data
- Immunisation coverage inequalities and analysis of zero-dose children
- Health system performance and NHIA service utilisation trends
- Quantifying the trend of malaria-induced death among children under 5 in Ghana from 2014 to 2024
- Updates on the Southampton-Ghana collaboration on RMNCAH+N research.
Technical discussions raised critical issues, including maternal mortality trends in private facilities; ANC coverage and its correlation with outcomes; limitations of DHIMS and KoboCollect data; disaggregation gaps in immunisation coverage; discontinuity in family planning methods; and challenges with workforce distribution, referral systems, and district-level resource planning.
Notable contributions were also made on emerging practices, such as the improved use of CHPS zones, the refinement of key indicators like skilled delivery coverage, and the need for more granular, sub-district-level data to better guide local health interventions.
The meeting featured a poster viewing session and closing remarks from the Director of PPMED-GHS.
Overall, the workshop reaffirmed Ghana’s strategic commitment to accountability, data equity, and collaborative health sector innovation. Stakeholders pledged to translate the findings into actionable priorities as the country advances toward Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.