By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO
The European Union and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have taken steps to invest €33million in the country’s pharmaceutical ecosystem to make it a regional hub for vaccine production and transform the entire sector.
With €9.9million from BMZ and €23.1million from the EU, the project will help reduce the nation’s continuous dependency on imported vaccines and create a sustainable domestic pharmaceutical industry.
The EU Ambassador, Irchad Razaaly, made this announcement at the first Steering Committee of the project ‘Strengthening the Ghanaian Pharmaceutical Sector with a Focus on Vaccine Production (PharmaVax Ghana)’.
According to the Ghana Health Service, only 30 percent of the national requirements of pharmaceutical products are produced in Ghana, while the remaining 70 percent are imported.
This joint effort by the EU is essential as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in the global and Ghanaian health systems.
Mr. Razaaly stressed that investment in PharmaVax Ghana will ensure the production of quality pharmaceutical products and create an ecosystem for local products to gain trust in international markets.
“It will not only ensure the production of high-quality vaccines and medicines but also create the right conditions for Ghanaian-made products to gain trust in the regional and global markets,” he noted.
Mr. Razaaly mentioned that this initiative comes following the EU’s €3million investment in improving the Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) regulatory capacity for overseeing vaccine manufacturing.
To ensure the project’s successful implementation and sustainability, the Steering Committee – comprising the National Vaccine Institute, FDA, local manufacturers and others – will identify the project’s needs in terms of specific human resources, skills, training and technology required.
About PharmaVax Ghan
The project is being implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and runs from July 2024 to March 2028.
It embodies th Team Europe initiative dubbed MAV+ (Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies) launched in Africa to promote local manufacturing of vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
It also stems from the vision of European Commission President von der Leyen to end Africa’s reliance on vaccine and medicine imports – influenced by reports after the COVID-19 pandemic showing that Africa imports 99 percent of its vaccines and 94 percent of its medicines.
PharmaVax Ghana has four strategic goals focusing on improving governance and regulation, workforce skills, research and development collaboration and strengthening private-sector production and market access.
Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, Franziska Jabens, said the commitment to this initiative reflects their broader drive to support sustainable and inclusive economic development – adding that they envision seeing the country “reduce dependency on pharmaceutical imports, create local jobs and strengthen the health ecosystem”.
Mr. Razaaly assured that the elections’ outcome will not affect the project’s sustainability, emphasising: “We are working with institutions that are here to stay”.
Country Director-GIZ Ghana, Dr. Dirk Aßmann, noted that they are dedicated to making Ghana a leader in the production of pharmaceuticals in Africa through strengthening local manufacturers, promoting research and establishing strict regulations.
According to Head-PharmaVax Ghana, Dr. Holger Till, the project aims to create sustainable environments that promote innovation, job creation and self-reliance in Ghana’s healthcare system.
