Government, pharmaceutical manufacturers and industry leaders have renewed calls for greater investment in local pharmaceutical production, innovation and skills development to reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported medicines and position the country as a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Africa.
The call was made at the 2026 Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) Conference in Accra, where stakeholders outlined a shared vision of achieving pharmaceutical sovereignty through stronger local production, research, technology transfer and strategic government support.
Speaking at the conference, the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said Ghana’s health security cannot be guaranteed while the country remains heavily dependent on imported medicines, vaccines and other health products.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks associated with overreliance on global supply chains and underscored the need to develop local manufacturing capacity for essential medicines.
“Pharmaceutical sovereignty does not mean producing every medicine locally,” he said. “It means building the capacity to manufacture a strategic range of essential health products while maintaining reliable partnerships for products that cannot yet be produced in Ghana.”
Mr. Akandoh said government is implementing the recently approved National Pharmaceutical Policy to expand local production, attract investment, strengthen quality standards and improve coordination across the pharmaceutical value chain.
As part of the policy, the Ministry of Health is reviewing its procurement arrangements to reserve a larger share of medicines under government framework contracts exclusively for qualified local manufacturers.
He explained that the move is intended to create a predictable market for local companies, encourage investment in production capacity and improve competitiveness, while maintaining strict regulatory and procurement standards.
The Health Minister also encouraged manufacturers to access financing through the Ghana EXIM Bank to modernise their operations and expand exports.
He noted that Africa imports more than US$40 billion worth of pharmaceutical products annually, presenting enormous opportunities for Ghanaian manufacturers to serve regional markets.
Mr. Akandoh said government is also making progress in local vaccine production through international technology partnerships, including plans to manufacture tetanus-diphtheria vaccines locally following the successful registration of a locally produced snake antivenom.
He called for stronger collaboration between manufacturers, universities and research institutions to commercialise research, while urging technical institutions to align training with industry needs through internships and practical learning.
President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Dr. Kofi Nsiah-Poku described pharmaceutical manufacturing as a strategic industrial priority capable of driving economic transformation, job creation and health security.
He said although Ghana possesses reputable manufacturers, credible regulatory institutions and access to regional markets through ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the industry continues to face significant structural challenges.
According to him, manufacturers struggle with high electricity and water costs, exchange rate volatility, expensive financing and heavy dependence on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, packaging materials and specialised equipment.
“Our pharmaceutical value chain is inverted,” he said. “We import almost everything needed for production and only undertake the final formulation locally. This exports jobs and value while making the industry vulnerable to foreign exchange shocks.”
Dr. Ayim-Darke also highlighted inadequate investment in research and development, weak collaboration between universities and industry, limited industrial skills and inconsistent implementation of government procurement policies as barriers to growth.
To address these challenges, AGI proposed a five-point industrial compact, including the establishment of pharmaceutical industrial parks under the government’s 24-hour economy initiative, creation of a Ghana Pharma Innovation Fund, development of local API manufacturing, curriculum reforms to produce industry-ready professionals and stricter enforcement of local content policies.
He further proposed that at least 60 percent of medicines procured by government hospitals and the National Health Insurance Scheme should come from qualified local manufacturers.
President of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG), Elder Dr. Samuel Amo Tobbin, said achieving pharmaceutical sovereignty requires developing the entire pharmaceutical value chain rather than focusing solely on finished medicines.
“A country that manufactures finished medicines but imports nearly all its pharmaceutical inputs has only solved half the sovereignty problem,” he said.
He urged pharmaceutical companies to leverage government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Artificial Intelligence Fund to improve research, quality assurance and manufacturing efficiency.
By Evelyn Tengmaa
