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The Government of Ghana has expressed its willingness to collaborate with various stakeholders in ensuring that Ghana becomes a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said government will engage Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) and others in the pharmaceutical sector to ‘steadily increase the capacity, competence and expertise of local pharmaceutical manufacturers to become WHO prequalified.

This will place a demand on products manufactured here in Ghana globally and will lead to the creation of more jobs and national development.

This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services and the Chief Pharmacist of Ghana's Ministry of Health at the opening ceremony of a 2-day scientific conference on Ghana as a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, organized by the PSGH.

The theme for the event is "Ghana, as a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub - The way forward for national development".

It may be recalled that government has placed a ban on the importation of 49 medicines which have been reserved for local manufacturers.

Noticeable names of medicines on the list include aluminium hydroxide or magnesium trisilicate suspension, amoxicillin capsules and suspension, aspirin or caffeine tablet, folic acid tablet,  cetirizine tablet, co-trimoxazole tablet, diclofenac tablet, magnesium trisilicate suspension and tablet and oral rehydration salt (ORS).

Others are paracetamol syrup,  paracetamol tablet, paracetamol or codeine tablet, simple linctus syrup, vitamin B complex tablet and multivitamin tablets (vitamins A acetate, B1, B2, B12, D3, nicotinimie, calcium pantothenate), Ibrufen tablet and cough mixture that contains carbocisteine diphengydramine, gualfenesin or ammonium chloride  as a single ingredient.

Speaking at the same event, Prof. Stephen Adei, former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) said the list needs to be expanded.

"Some of the imported drugs can now be produced by ourselves so the list needs to be expanded . . . this will create a vibrant industry," he said.