The Government has officially launched a new National Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy aimed at cutting Ghana’s heavy dependence on imported medicines and positioning the country as West Africa’s pharmaceutical hub.The Cabinet-approved policy was launched in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare. It received Cabinet approval in July 2026 after months of stakeholder engagements.Under the policy, Ghana seeks to increase the share of locally manufactured medicines from the current 30% to 60% within the next five years, as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s broader target of achieving 70% pharmaceutical self-sufficiency by 2030. Currently about 70% of medicines consumed locally are imported, costing Ghana over $300 million annually, while Africa as a whole spends more than $14 billion on pharmaceutical imports yearly.
Hon. Ofosu-Adjare said the framework rests on six pillars including attainment of WHO Good Manufacturing Practice standards, guaranteed market access through public procurement and the National Health Insurance Scheme, affordable long-term financing through Development Bank Ghana, Ghana EXIM Bank and GIPC, expansion into production of active ingredients, vaccines and diagnostics, skills development and leveraging AfCFTA and ECOWAS for exports.To drive the policy, government is also developing the Legon Pharmaceutical Innovation Park (LePIP), a 2,000-acre integrated park at Shai Osudoku / Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra Region. The project, led by the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Authority with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, is projected to create about 30,000 jobs. An initial deadline for manufacturers to express interest was October 12, 2026, but the Authority has extended the window to October 31, 2026.The Minister stressed that medicines are not ordinary commodities, warning that a nation unable to produce its own essential medicines leaves its health, economy and sovereignty vulnerable.
