Ghana FDA Introduces Licensing Framework for New Pharmaceutical Factories as Local Production Targets Rise to 60-70%

Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority has developed a framework to guide investors building new pharmaceutical factories, as government tries to raise local production from about 30% of the country’s medicine needs to 60-70%.

Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has developed a framework to guide investors building new pharmaceutical factories, as government tries to raise local production from about 30% of the country’s medicine needs to 60-70%.

The government is pursuing a five-year strategic plan to strengthen the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry to enable the country to produce a greater proportion of the medicines it currently imports.

Dr George Sabblah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, described the framework at the 2026 AGM and Scientific Conference of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (Ghana Chapter) in Accra. He spoke on behalf of the FDA’s Chief Executive Officer.

What Investors Would Go Through

Under the framework, investors planning a new facility would move through:

• Construction

• Equipment installation

• Qualification

• Process validation

• Non-commercial trial batches

Only after that would they apply to the FDA for a good manufacturing practice (GMP) licence.

Dr Sabblah said the FDA has already engaged industry on the approach.

“This approach will provide a clear and predictable pathway for investors,” he said.

It would reduce regulatory uncertainty and help new facilities get established on time, supporting local production of essential medicines and what he called “medicine security”.

The sequencing is deliberate. Under many regulatory regimes, prospective manufacturers face uncertainty about what standard they must meet and when. By publishing the pathway, the FDA is effectively telling investors what the finish line looks like before they commit capital — a meaningful signal in a sector where facility construction runs into millions of dollars.

Why It Matters

Ghana’s local production meets only about 30% of its needs, Dr Sabblah said.

It produces no pharmaceutical raw materials or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and makes no vaccines, medical devices or in-vitro diagnostics, so it depends heavily on imports.

He said the 60-70% target would strengthen health security, create jobs and build a competitive industry. The government did not give a date for it in his remarks.

That absence of a timeline is notable. The target has been cited repeatedly in policy discussions — the National Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy launched earlier this month referenced a 60% goal within five years — but the framework presented to investors does not itself carry a deadline.

A GMP Deadline for Existing Companies

The framework sits alongside a GMP roadmap the FDA has agreed with local industry. It targets compliance by all pharmaceutical companies by the end of next year.

Dr Sabblah said the roadmap is meant to address GMP deficiencies, strengthen quality management systems and ensure locally made products meet national and international standards.

The dual track matters: new entrants get a predictable pathway, while existing manufacturers face a firm compliance deadline. That combination could accelerate consolidation in a sector where some operators have struggled to meet international standards.

Vaccines Raise the Stakes

Ghana plans to move towards local vaccine production in 2027. Dr Sabblah said that makes regulatory oversight more important.

The FDA has increased its staff and opened a vaccine lot release laboratory to support regulatory decisions on vaccines. He said these steps are in line with World Health Organization standards, so locally made vaccines meet international standards before release.

What Each Side Is Expected to Do

Dr Sabblah said the FDA is strengthening its regulatory system to support local manufacturing, with policy backing from the Ministry of Health. Industry, he said, is expected to invest in quality management systems and workforce development.

Quick Facts

Ghana’s FDA has published a framework for investors building new pharmaceutical factories, setting out a sequence of construction, equipment installation, qualification, process validation and non-commercial trial batches before a GMP licence application. The framework is designed to reduce regulatory uncertainty and support local production of essential medicines, according to Dr George Sabblah, the FDA’s Deputy CEO.

Ghana currently produces about 30% of its medicine needs and manufactures no APIs, vaccines, medical devices or in-vitro diagnostics, making the 60-70% target both ambitious and strategically significant. Alongside the new framework, the FDA has agreed a GMP roadmap requiring compliance from all pharmaceutical companies by the end of next year.

Ghana plans to move towards local vaccine production in 2027, and the FDA has increased staff and opened a vaccine lot release laboratory aligned with WHO standards. Industry is expected to invest in quality management systems and workforce development, with policy backing from the Ministry of Health.

Source: Accra Street Journal

Last Updated on November 8, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.

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