The first Veterinarian (Captain Beal) to arrive in the Gold Coast was posted in May 1909 at the request of the Colonial Government. The Veterinary Services was then a Unit of the Medical Department until 1920 when it was established as a Department with headquarters in Pong-Tamale. When the headquarters was established in Pong-Tamale two sections were created in 1931; the Veterinary Section which was responsible for disease control and the Livestock Section which dealt with improvement of indigenous livestock breeds.