At the opening of the 90th Anniversary Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku‑Agyemang urged the government to strengthen local pharmaceutical production to reduce dependence on imported medicines and improve access to essential drugs.
She noted that Ghanaian manufacturers are already expanding their capacity to produce a broader range of products, including infusions, injectables, ophthalmic products and anaesthetics, and that further growth would strengthen the health system and enable a more responsive response to evolving healthcare needs.
The Vice President highlighted the government’s five‑year strategy to lift the proportion of locally manufactured medicines from 30 % to 70 %. She said achieving the target would require sustained support, predictable public procurement, timely payment of suppliers and affordable long‑term financing for manufacturers.
Pharm. Paul Owusu Donkor, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, welcomed the 70 % goal but called for a funded delivery programme to give local producers the certainty needed to invest in capacity.
Beyond manufacturing, Professor Opoku‑Agyemang urged pharmacists to take a larger role in tackling chronic and non‑communicable diseases and called for regulation to keep pace with technological advances such as artificial intelligence, digital prescribing and evolving medicine supply chains.
The conference, themed “Science. Impact. Legacy: 90 Years of Pharmaceutical Excellence,” provides a platform for discussing the future of Ghana’s pharmaceutical sector, access to medicines and resilience within the health system.
