The Presidential Coordinator for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub, Dr. Bernice Makafui Brempong has said a proposed Phase 2 of the Hub, to be located in the Central Region, will focus on producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, herbal medicines, and raw materials.
This, she said 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.
To Dr Brempong, who also serves as the Senior Executive in charge of Investments in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals at the Office of the President, the contract manufacturing will 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.”
Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy (GPMP), dr Brempong said the launch of the integrated pharmaceutical ecosystem will help cut 70 percent medicine import reliance and boost local manufacturing,
This, she said was making Ghana to take a significant step toward overhauling the healthcare and industrial landscape.
She said the achievement was central to President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of positioning Ghana as a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Africa.
The new policy sets the stage for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub for it 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.
