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

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

The launch brought together key government officials, including Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, alongside industry stakeholders, diplomats, and representatives from 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, stated that the policy represents a strategic framework to address longstanding challenges such as 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 stated. She noted that while the previous administration provided financial support to local manufacturers, experience has shown that financial backing alone is 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 Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub

The policy sets the stage for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub, a presidential national legacy initiative under the new economy program. According to the Coordinator, the Hub will give practical expression to the policy by bringing manufacturers, input suppliers, research facilities, and shared infrastructure together.

The proposed Phase 2 of the Hub, located in the Central Region, will focus on producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, herbal medicines, and raw materials. It will also include local production of excipients like 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 will be a crucial component of the Hub, allowing smaller companies to utilize 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 clinical pharmacists with the skills needed for industrial pharmacy careers, creating opportunities for Ghana’s approximately 1,600 unemployed pharmacists.

Policy Provisions and Vision

Echoing the sentiments at the launch, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, CEO of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), described the policy as the foundation for an “integrated ecosystem” strategy.

He outlined key provisions of the GPMP, which include:

* Ensuring the local production and timely supply of essential raw materials and excipients.
* Promoting pharmaceutical Research and Development (R&D) across the sector.
* Boosting contract manufacturing by engaging leading multinational companies.
* Recruiting highly skilled professionals with experience in advanced manufacturing.
* Collaborating with academia to introduce relevant programs.
* Providing industry-specific tax exemptions and financing support.
* Promoting vaccine manufacturing as a strategic priority.

Dr. Sodzi-Tettey noted that the policy serves as a direct answer to questions posed by Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) when seeking capital for local manufacturers.

“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.

A Track Record of Growth

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, over GHS 50 million was invested in at least three pharmaceutical companies, helping firms like 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 Anti-Serum, Ghana’s first biological product. The country is 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.

Call to Action

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 prioritize 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.”