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The Minister of Health, Sherry Ayittey has appealed to the World Health Organization (WHO) to accredit more Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs locally to ease the growing menace of counterfeit medicines. She said manufacturing essential drugs locally will significantly reduce the cost of medicines, create employment and enable the country to certify the quality and efficacy of such medicines, and gear the country towards meeting the Millennium Development goal of providing quality and affordable medicines for the underprivileged. The Minister made the appeal during the signing of an Agreement between the European Union, the WHO and Ghana to promote access to affordable, safe and quality medicines in the country. The agreement, which spans four years, is a renewed partnership between the three parties, with the European Union (EU) making available $400,000 for the provision of technical support by WHO to develop and implement priority activities in national medicines policy implementation plan. The first EU/ACP (Africa Caribbean and Pacific) /WHO partnership program for pharmaceutical policies was implemented in Africa and in Ghana from 2004 and 2010. Due to the successful implementation of the program in Ghana the EU accepted to fund the second phase. The program is hinged on five thematic areas, including, improving availability and supply of essential medicines in national, regional and community health facilities in ACP countries, reducing the price of medicines and improved mechanisms for financing and for coverage of essential medicines in social protection schemes. The program also seeks to improve the quality and safety of medicines and reduce the occurrence of substandard medicines and of medicines that pose health risk, improve medicines selection, prescribing, dispensing and use. It will also increase access to reliable information on the pharmaceutical sector and policy of countries, review national medicines policy and plans and enhance transparency and good governance in the sector. Ms Ayittey initialed the agreement for Ghana, whilst Dr Iddrisa Sow, the WHO Representative in Ghana and Claude Maerten, the EU�s head of delegation in Ghana signed for their organizations. Mr Maerten underscored the importance of quality and reliable medicine to healthcare, citing a recent sampling of drugs in Ghana that showed that about 60 per cent of medicines used in the country are fake. He said the move would negate some of the problems associated with counterfeit medicines. Ghana�s work plan includes the assessment and implementation of the national medicines Policy of 2004 to reflect new trends in pharmaceutical care across the world. The Food and Drugs Authority will also be evaluated to identify gaps and strengthen the medicines regulatory system. A survey on prescribing, dispensing and use of medicines will also be undertaken to ensure that prescribers adhere to clinical guidelines and essential medicines list to reduce waste in the health care system to sustain the national health Insurance scheme.