The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) hosted a four-day training workshop on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) in Accra from 16th to 19th September 2025.
The workshop brought together RCCE network members from across Africa’s five regions: West, East, Central, North and Southern Africa, with the goal of building capacity, strengthening coordination and embedding social and behavioral insights into public health strategies.
Delegates from West Africa participated in the West Africa session. The training moved beyond theory, combining lectures with group exercises, interactive discussions and panel sessions that encouraged countries to share challenges and propose solutions.
Setting the tone for the workshop, Mrs. Mabel Kissiwaa Asafo, Ag. Director of the Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service and Chair of the AU RCCE Community of Practice (CoPa), delivered the welcome address on behalf of the Ag. Director-General of the Service, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea. She reminded participants that capacity building must remain at the core of Africa’s health systems, calling for stronger social listening, evidence-based strategies and deeper community ownership to translate science into trust and drive sustainable change.
By the close of the meeting, her message came full circle. She thanked participants for their active engagement and their openness in sharing experiences on Joint External Evaluation and behavioral intelligence. She noted that guidelines had been presented for review and terms of reference shared with members, encouraging continued dialogue and collaboration. With gratitude, she acknowledged the collective effort that had gone into the workshop and reaffirmed the importance of working together to advance RCCE across the continent.
The workshop orchestrated more than training. It stitched together a continental tapestry of voices and insights that transcend borders, laying the groundwork for stronger community engagement.