ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana has intensified efforts to position itself as a pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing hub in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) calling for a stronger biosafety regulatory framework to support local vaccine development and production.
The call was made at a stakeholder workshop on “Vaccine Development and Manufacturing in Ghana: Regulatory Readiness and the Need to Strengthen Ghana’s Biosafety Regulatory Framework,” organised by the National Biosafety Authority in collaboration with GIZ GmbH, the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) under the PharmaVex Ghana Programme.
The workshop brought together more than 50 stakeholders, including regulators, researchers, manufacturers, government officials, legal experts and development partners, to validate Ghana’s emerging regulatory framework for vaccines and biologics and chart a roadmap towards self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
The meeting comes as Ghana seeks to reduce its dependence on imported vaccines and strengthen its health security amid declining donor support.
Opening the workshop, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Authority, Kwame Dei Asamoah-Okyere, said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed Ghana’s vulnerability to vaccine nationalism and underscored the urgent need to develop local manufacturing capacity.
“Your presence at this workshop demonstrates our shared commitment to materialise Ghana’s ambition to become a vaccine development and manufacturing hub in Sub-Saharan Africa and achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production to meet future national, regional and continental needs,” he said.
Asamoah-Okyere stressed that while considerable attention had been paid to medicine regulation, the role of the Biosafety Act, 2011 (Act 831) in regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) had not received adequate recognition.
He noted that scientific advancement must be supported by robust regulatory oversight capable of protecting public health and the environment while promoting innovation and investment.
According to him, the Authority has held bilateral engagements and regulatory roundtable meetings with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to build consensus on the regulation of biological products and biosimilars, using vaccines as a model for clinical trial authorisation, market approval and facility licensing.
Representing the Minister of Health, Dr Daniel Amaning Danquah, Director of the Pharmacy Unit at the Ministry of Health, described vaccine manufacturing as critical to Ghana’s healthcare security.
He noted that virtually every child born in Ghana requires at least six vaccines, all of which have traditionally been sourced externally.
“We have relied on partners and donors for many years, but that support is gradually reducing, making it necessary for Ghana to produce its own vaccines,” he said.
Danquah added that broad stakeholder engagement was necessary to build public confidence in locally manufactured vaccines and ensure they meet international quality standards.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, called for Ghana’s regulatory framework to be aligned with international best practices to enhance competitiveness and attract investment.
He said such investments would not only enable local vaccine production but also position Ghana as a regional leader in vaccine manufacturing.
“The National Vaccine Institute remains committed to building a resilient vaccine ecosystem that protects our population, supports regional health security and contributes to the African Union’s vision of expanding vaccine manufacturing across the continent,” he said.
Sodzi-Tettey expressed confidence that the workshop would produce practical recommendations capable of advancing Ghana’s ambition of becoming Africa’s preferred destination for vaccine production.
Speaking on behalf of development partners, GIZ Component Manager Jasper Sablah emphasised the importance of strengthening Ghana’s regulatory systems to enhance international competitiveness.
He said existing gaps in the regulation of biological materials could affect international collaborations and explained that GIZ was pleased to support the National Biosafety Authority’s initiative.
Sablah recalled that the German development agency had committed support to Ghana’s vaccine manufacturing agenda since 2024 through its partnership with the Government of Ghana and the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee.
He said the collaboration supports Ghana’s 10-year roadmap to transform the country into a Pan-African vaccine manufacturing hub in partnership with the European Union and private sector stakeholders.
Participants welcomed the workshop as a timely opportunity to deepen understanding of the Biosafety Act and discuss challenges facing Ghana’s pharmaceutical sector, particularly vaccine production and manufacturing.
The meeting ended with an agreement to establish sub-committees to develop recommendations for strengthening Ghana’s biosafety regulatory framework and implementing the roadmap towards making the country a leading vaccine manufacturing hub in Africa.
