The Ghana Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA) has raised concerns that the growing exodus of local veterinary doctors to foreign countries is posing a serious threat to the sustainability of Ghana’s food systems, the livestock value chain, and efforts to combat zoonotic diseases.

Speaking to the Business & Financial Times (B&FT), GVMA President Dr Joseph Abuh said the problem, which began with the introduction of the single spine salary structure, has significantly worsened over the past five years due to declining real incomes and the absence of additional allowances or incentives.

According to Dr Abuh, Ghanaian veterinary doctors readily take up opportunities abroad, particularly in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and other destinations, once vacancies become available. He warned that the trend has worrying implications for the country’s future.

“Most young veterinary doctors graduate, register with the Veterinary Council and the GVMA, gain about a year of work experience, and then leave to work overseas,” he explained. “The country invests heavily in training these professionals, only for them to serve other nations. This situation is detrimental to our slaughterhouses, border controls and the entire livestock sector.”

Acute shortage of veterinary doctors


GVMA data show a severe imbalance in the distribution of veterinary professionals nationwide. Ghana currently has only 83 veterinary doctors, far below the estimated requirement of about 700.

Many of the existing veterinarians are deployed to agencies such as the Wildlife Division and the Fisheries Commission. In some critical areas, the shortage is even more pronounced. For example, only one veterinary technician is stationed at the Elubo border, where the officer also rotates among other key entry points in the Western Zone.

The association cautioned that this shortage weakens disease surveillance and monitoring, increasing Ghana’s vulnerability as an entry point for animal diseases.

Although the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology together graduate about 85 veterinary doctors each year, GVMA said a significant number leave the country shortly after completing their training.

Rising public health risks


The association warned that the lack of veterinary expertise could have serious consequences for public health, particularly as zoonotic diseases—those transmitted from animals to humans—continue to rise.

Avian influenza remains a persistent concern, with recurrent poultry outbreaks since 2007 resulting in significant bird losses and the need for strict biosecurity measures. In late 2024, Ghana recorded its first human case of avian influenza—a mild infection in a child at the Burkina Faso border—underscoring the growing zoonotic threat.

GVMA noted that Ghana faces multiple zoonotic disease risks at its borders, including rabies, anthrax and viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Lassa fever, yellow fever and the Marburg virus. Other threats include zoonotic tuberculosis, trypanosomiasis and avian influenza, driven by close human-animal interactions through livestock farming, bushmeat consumption and wildlife contact.

The association stressed that without urgent policy interventions to improve remuneration, incentives and working conditions for veterinary professionals, the continued migration of skilled veterinarians could undermine national food security and public health safety.