• Agriculture Ministry launches EMA-i+ app nationwide to monitor animal diseases.
• The system cuts reporting delays from months to 30 minutes, boosting response time.
• Weak private sector involvement and rural digital gaps remain key challenges.

Ghana has taken a new step in modernizing its livestock sector with the launch of a mobile application for animal health management. On September 26, Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku officially introduced the Events Mobile Application Plus (EMA-i+), a tool developed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to strengthen surveillance of animal diseases.

? The Hon. Minister of Food & Agriculture, Eric Opoku, launched EMA-i+ ?a digital tool by@FAO
That enables real-time animal disease reporting & early warning. A major step to protect Animal Health, secure livelihoods & safeguard public health! ???#OneHealth ?? pic.twitter.com/JkxEJS2Pzx

— FAO in Ghana (@FAOGhana) September 25, 2025

The project began in 2018 as a pilot and is now being deployed nationwide. Authorities say the app will allow veterinarians and field officers to report outbreaks in real time, covering diseases such as rabies, anthrax, and avian influenza. Its scope also includes aquatic animals, bees, and wildlife.

According to Ghanaweb, the system improves data accuracy, speeds up reporting, and enhances information sharing across institutions, enabling faster epidemic responses. Minister Opoku noted that since 2018, the digitalization of surveillance has already tripled the number of reports.

FAO’s interim representative in Ghana, Priya Gujadhur, said the app has cut information transmission delays from two to three months under the old paper-based system to about 30 minutes.

Limited private sector presence

The initiative highlights the limited role of private players in Ghana’s animal health digital ecosystem. In 2016, start-up Cowtribe entered the market with a platform for vaccine distribution using USSD and SMS, targeting rural farmers with poor access to veterinary services. Since then, Cowtribe has remained the only start-up solely focused on animal health through digital tools, helping reduce livestock mortality and the risk of epidemics.

Strengthening this young ecosystem could improve access to veterinary services in rural areas and reduce vulnerability to cross-border animal diseases. The stakes are high: according to the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), animal diseases cause economic losses of $4 billion annually in sub-Saharan Africa, equal to about 25% of total livestock production value.

Digital divide slows adoption

Despite the progress, challenges remain. Internet connectivity and adoption among smallholder farmers are still limited, raising concerns about accessibility in rural areas.

At the start of 2025, Ghana had about 24.3 million Internet users, a penetration rate of 69.9%, according to official data. But disparities are clear. In 2021, about 80% of urban youth aged 15–29 used the Internet, compared with only 54% in rural areas, a gap linked to weaker infrastructure and uneven network coverage.