Participants in Ghana's National Government Pandemic Disaster Response Tabletop Exercise summarized lessons learned, potential gaps in the current plan and made suggestions for improvement on February 10, 2012, the final day of the exercise.

Approximately 120 civilian and military representatives from five African nations, the United States and international aid organizations participated in the exercise which was hosted by the government of Ghana, organized by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), supported by the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) and funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The exercise assisted the Ghanaian government in assessing its pandemic influenza preparedness and identifying and validating how the Ghanaian Armed Forces might assist in Ghana's National Pandemic Disaster Response Plan.

The participants were divided into five groups (operations, health, security, communications and logistics) to address key issues and events related to a worse-case pandemic emergency. Exercise facilitators stressed civilian-military cooperation, as well as regional cooperation, as crucial aspects of an effective response plan.

At the exercise's conclusion, each group did an after-action review, discussing exercise outcomes, lessons learned and gaps identified during the week. Participants were asked to identify three areas that should be sustained and three areas that needed improvement. Each group briefed facilitators on their aspects of the plan.

During the closing ceremony U.S. Navy Commander Carlos Williams, MD, MPH Director, Education and Civil Military Medicine Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM), began his speech by thanking the Ghanaian government, "Your hospitality and the effort that you made to ensure the success of your workshop and tabletop exercise was amazing."

The week-long exercise dealt with a simulated pandemic outbreak of influenza designed to stress test the Ghanaian government's pandemic response plan.

"I believe that every person leaves here today with a better understanding of the complex issues involved in responding to a pandemic disaster," said Williams, "Ghana will be better prepared for any disaster in the future because of the hard work you have done this week."

Williams praised the participant's efforts throughout the week, but urged them to stay engaged after leaving Elmina. "The Tabletop exercise is over, but the work of preparing is not," said Williams. "Take what you have learned this week, go forward and continue preparing your country for disaster. One thing we can expect is that disasters will happen; if not a pandemic, then a flood, oil refinery explosion, or other event that can lead to great human suffering."

Throughout the exercise several presenters reinforced the point that planning and tactics used to fight a pandemic outbreak of influenza can also be used to combat the effects of other disasters.

Ebenezer Kofi Portuphy, National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said, "60-70 percent [transfers] because it is response to emergencies, you have the same model and the same challenges."

Communication and unity and teamwork were stressed throughout the exercise.

Ghanaian Armed Forces Brigadier General Dan Mitsio praised the U.S. Government's understanding of Ghana's willingness to learn.

Mitsio addressed the participants and facilitators when he said "I commend all of you for the way you buried yourself into the experience. I wish that back home we will continue to communicate and hold each others' hands."

Ghana's Central Region Minister Ama Benjiwa-Doe officially closed the exercise with her speech praising the participants and emphasizing her increased confidence in Ghana's Pandemic Disaster Response Plan. "I believe the exercise will advance our plan. I dare say we will subdue any pandemic outbreak or any other emergency."

Benjiwa-Doe reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to continued pandemic disaster preparedness. "I realize we need more training…more investment in prevention of disasters. I assure you, this (exercise) will not go to waste. Ghana will continue to build our country's resilience to disaster."

Benjiwa-Doe praised AFRICOM, other U.S. based agencies, and international agencies and then officially declared Ghana's National Government Pandemic Disaster Response Tabletop Exercise closed.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed the overall concept for the tabletop exercise scenario, which ran from February 7-10.

This tabletop exercise is part of a series of engagements organized and facilitated by U.S. AFRICOM through its Pandemic Response Program (PRP) to assist African militaries improve their capacity to support the response of their civil government to a pandemic influenza outbreak or similar disaster.

PRP is funded by USAID as part of its umbrella program Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness Initiative. Implemented by the U.S. military, PRP is structured like a traditional USAID project with a focus on long-term sustainable results and focuses on the whole of government approach.

PRP's objectives are to train senior and mid-level military leaders, government agencies and international aide organizations in cooperative disaster management and humanitarian assistance situations, with a particular focus on pandemic preparedness; while ensuring military, government agencies and aide organizations in participating "pandemic preparedness" nations have developed detailed plans of action directly supporting national plans; and to conduct exercises to test the implementation of these plans and identify deficiencies.