Pharmaceutical Hub initiative targets 70% import dependence to build a self-sufficient health sector

Ghana has taken a significant step towards overhauling its healthcare and industrial landscape with the launch of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy (GPMP).

The policy, approved by Cabinet and launched on October 28, at the Africa Trade House, aims to reverse the country's 70 per cent dependence on imported medicines by building a sustainable, competitive and integrated pharmaceutical ecosystem.

The launch brought together key government officials, including the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, alongside industry stakeholders, diplomats and representatives of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI).

Speaking at the event, the Presidential Coordinator for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub, Dr Bernice Makafui Brempong, who is also a pharmacist, said the policy represents a strategic framework for addressing longstanding challenges, including access to finance, infrastructure and raw materials.

“This achievement is central to President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of positioning Ghana as a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Africa,” the Coordinator said.

She noted that while the previous administration had provided financial support to local manufacturers, experience had shown that financial backing alone was insufficient.

“Our ambition is to build an ecosystem where manufacturers can thrive,” she added, pointing to Section 7.7 of the new policy, which identifies a purpose-built pharmaceutical park or hub as a “top priority of the Government”.

The policy sets the stage for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub, a presidential national legacy initiative under the government’s 24-hour economy programme.

According to the Coordinator, the Hub will give practical expression to the policy by bringing together manufacturers, input suppliers, research facilities and shared infrastructure.

The proposed Phase Two of the Hub, located in the Central Region, will focus on producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, herbal medicines and raw materials. It will also include the local production of excipients such as pharmaceutical-grade corn starch, corn syrup and ethyl alcohol, strengthening the link between agriculture and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Dr Brempong, who also serves as the Senior Executive in charge of Investments in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals at the Office of the President, stressed that contract manufacturing would be a crucial component of the Hub, allowing smaller companies to utilise shared, ready-to-use facilities.

“Not every pharmaceutical company can afford to build its own manufacturing facility,” she noted. “Through shared infrastructure... the Hub seeks to lower these barriers.”

Additionally, the Hub is expected to address a critical skills gap by equipping pharmacists with the skills needed for careers in industrial pharmacy, while creating opportunities for Ghana's approximately 1,600 unemployed pharmacists.

Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, described the policy as the foundation for an “integrated ecosystem” strategy.

He outlined key provisions of the GPMP, including:

Dr Sodzi-Tettey noted that the policy provides answers to questions often raised by Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) when local manufacturers seek capital.

“When we approach these entities, a few questions are thrown back at us: How supportive is government of these initiatives?... I can confidently respond and say... Ghana has a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy which articulates in clear, concrete terms the support that government is providing for the sector,” he said.

The launch also highlighted Ghana's recent strides in pharmaceutical production under the current John Mahama administration.

The NVI CEO noted that, under the previous Mahama administration, more than GH¢50 million was invested in at least three pharmaceutical companies, helping firms such as Ernest Chemist build state-of-the-art, GMP-compliant plants.

More recently, in August 2025, President Mahama allocated $50 million to the NVI, which has since established an mRNA laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, making Ghana one of only five African countries with the technology.

Furthermore, in May 2025, the NVI and Atlantic Lifesciences manufactured snake venom antiserum, Ghana's first biological product.

The country is also on track to produce anti-tetanus serum and its first vaccine, the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine, in 2027.

Atlantic Lifesciences has also been prequalified under the Africa CDC's Pooled Procurement Mechanism and awarded a contract to supply oxytocin to Africa.

As the government prepares to play its part, the Presidential Coordinator called on financial institutions to develop long-term financing solutions and urged healthcare institutions to prioritise domestic industries.

“The approval of this policy is an important achievement, but it is only the beginning,” she concluded.

“Our success will ultimately be measured by the factories established, investments attracted, medicines produced, jobs created and the competitiveness of Ghanaian manufacturers... Let us move from policy to implementation, from ambition to investment, and from dependence to greater domestic productive capacity.”