The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approved 20,205 product applications out of a total of 24,446 received last year, according to figures presented at its 2025 Annual Stakeholders' Meeting in Accra.
The gap between applications processed and those approved was due to submissions that did not meet the required standards or needed additional information before further action could be taken.
Presenting a performance report at the meeting, held under the theme "Regulatory excellence through innovation, collaboration and sustained growth," the Head of Quality Management Systems at the FDA, Joseph Ofosu Siaw, said applications received last year exceeded the annual target by about three per cent, while applications processed represented approximately 96.2 per cent of the target.
He said that as part of its regulatory mandate, the FDA conducted 15,457 Good Manufacturing Practice and facility inspections during the year, alongside inspections of consignments at the country's ports and airports to ensure compliance.
Giving a breakdown of product registration, Ofosu Siaw said 62 per cent of regulated products registered in 2025 were locally manufactured, with the remaining 38 per cent foreign. He explained that the rise in the share of locally manufactured products reflected a deliberate management decision aimed at supporting Ghanaian businesses and encouraging the consumption of locally produced goods.
The guest of honour, Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Desmond Boateng, said maintaining public confidence was a critical responsibility of the FDA, since Ghanaians expect the food, medicines, cosmetics and other regulated products they consume to be safe, while industry requires clear and predictable regulatory processes.
Citing examples from the United States FDA's Project Orbis, Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, and food safety practices in the UK and New Zealand, Boateng said innovation and collaboration were key to modern regulation. For Ghana, he said, this meant embracing digitalisation, data driven regulation, modern laboratories and risk based approaches to make regulation faster, smarter and more responsive without compromising safety. He called for stronger partnerships between the FDA, industry, academia, development partners, government institutions, civil society and consumers, noting that public health systems were strongest when all stakeholders understood their roles, and assured the FDA of the Ministry's commitment to supporting a responsive, future ready institution.
The Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, said the Authority is implementing major reforms to deliver faster regulatory decisions and build a more responsive system. He outlined several initiatives, including digitalisation through the G-FIRMS platform and other software systems, the establishment of a ticketing based Client Service Centre, and the planned opening of four new regional offices and 60 district offices by the end of the year.
Other measures include maintaining the World Health Organisation's Maturity Level Three status while pursuing Level Four, providing 24-hour services for critical functions, enhancing food safety surveillance, and partnering with Germany and the European Union to establish a new vaccines laboratory. Opuni also cited staff welfare improvements, capacity building initiatives, and ongoing engagement with industry bodies such as the Association of Ghana Industries and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana.
