The government has launched the Ghana Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy, setting a five year target to double the share of locally produced medicines from about 30% to 60% as the country seeks to cut a pharmaceutical import bill now exceeding US$750 million annually.
The policy, approved by Cabinet in July 2026, is also expected to support Ghana’s broader ambition of reaching at least 70% pharmaceutical self sufficiency and doubling pharmaceutical exports to markets within the Economic Community of West African States.
Launching the policy in Accra, Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare said government wanted the programme to produce measurable industrial results rather than remain a policy document.
“With this clear direction from the head of state, my ministry’s responsibility is to translate that commitment into factories, products, exports and jobs.
“Our vision is simple: a Ghana that produces safe, quality and affordable medicines for its people and serves as the pharmaceutical manufacturing hub of West Africa.” - Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare
Import Bill Climbs Above US$750m
Ghana continues to import roughly 70% of the medicines consumed locally despite efforts over the years to expand domestic manufacturing.
Dr Lucia Addae, Executive Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana, said the structure of the market had barely changed even as the cost of imports surged.
“We always hear that we import 70% and manufacture 30%, and people have stated that that figure has not changed over the years,” she said. “Ten years ago, that figure was about US$250 million. Today, that figure sits a little over US$750 million.”
The policy seeks to tackle some of the problems holding manufacturers back, including expensive financing, imported raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients, inadequate technology, limited specialised skills and weak access to reliable markets.
Its six areas of intervention include international quality standards, public procurement, financing and investment, production of pharmaceutical inputs, research and skills development, and access to regional export markets.
Affordable Capital Becomes Critical
Government intends to work with Development Bank Ghana, Ghana EXIM Bank and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre to improve access to longer term financing and support factory expansion and modernisation.
Financing remains one of the biggest hurdles for local manufacturers because pharmaceutical plants require costly production lines, laboratories, quality control systems and certification before medicines can reach domestic and export markets.
Government also intends to use public procurement to create more predictable demand for qualified locally manufactured products.
Ofosu Adjare said manufacturers would be supported to meet international standards, including World Health Organization Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, while regulators would still be expected to maintain strict quality controls.
Ghana Wants More Than Local Packaging
A deeper challenge is Ghana’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical ingredients.
The country currently relies almost entirely on imports for active pharmaceutical ingredients, meaning that increasing the number of medicines assembled locally may not by itself remove the industry’s foreign exchange exposure.
The proposed Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub is expected to address part of that gap.
Presidential Coordinator for the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub Dr Bernice Makafui Brempong said the initiative would bring manufacturers, research institutions, raw material suppliers and shared infrastructure together.
Its second phase is expected to support active pharmaceutical ingredients, plant based medicines and packaging materials, while developing facilities for pharmaceutical research and testing.
The policy also identifies skills development as a priority as government looks to create more industrial pharmacy, research and quality assurance opportunities.
Regional Hub Ambition Faces Quality Test
Ghana already has one of West Africa’s larger pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. Sector data cited at the launch showed about 40 registered manufacturers in 2020, directly employing more than 10,000 people and indirectly supporting roughly 100,000 livelihoods.
German Ambassador to Ghana Frederik Landshöft said the COVID 19 pandemic demonstrated the risks countries face when essential medicines and vaccines are concentrated in a few production centres.
“That is why Germany strongly welcomes Ghana’s ambition to become a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing hub,” he said.
For government, the harder stage now begins.
Reaching the 60% local production target will depend on whether manufacturers can secure affordable capital, meet international quality standards, produce competitively priced medicines and gain dependable access to Ghanaian and regional markets.
The size of the import bill gives the policy urgency. Its impact will ultimately be visible in factories commissioned, medicines produced, exports secured and how much of Ghana’s pharmaceutical spending shifts from imports to domestic production.
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