About 2,300 Community Health Workers to be Deployed for REACH Project
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) have officially launched the Resilient and Empowered African Community Health (REACH) project, which will deploy 2,300 community health workers across four regions to strengthen community health systems nationwide.
The launch ceremony, held today, marks the start of the two-year initiative spanning 2026 to 2027.
REACH is a continental programme funded by the Italian government through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), with technical support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
GHS Director-General Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea announced that the 2,300 health workers will be strategically deployed in the Volta, Western, and Ashanti regions, plus selected priority areas.
He said the rollout complements the government’s Free Primary Healthcare initiative and comes at a “transformative period” for the sector.
To sustain the gains, Dr Akoriyea outlined plans to integrate REACH data into the national reporting and referral database, enforce rigorous quality supervision, and run targeted community engagement campaigns to eliminate cultural barriers and promote preventive healthcare.
GRCS President Dr Edward Donkor said the recruited workers will serve as a critical frontline bridge between vulnerable communities and the formal health system.
He noted the project will leverage the Red Cross volunteer network to enhance grassroots disease prevention, surveillance, health promotion, and emergency preparedness.
The Director of GHS Institutional Care Division, Dr Lawrence Ofori Boadu, added that REACH will strengthen community outreach capabilities, address social determinants of health, and provide a transparent platform for community-level accountability.
Ghana is among the primary beneficiary countries, alongside nations like the Central African Republic.
All training and deployment activities are expected to begin immediately to meet the 2027 project timeline.
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