Speaking at the opening of a two-day stakeholder engagement meeting in Accra, a representative of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) welcomed delegates from ECOWAS Member States, Africa CDC, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, development partners and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The meeting seeks to establish a common understanding of the APPM operational framework and identify practical measures to strengthen the participation of Ghanaian and West African manufacturers in the continental procurement initiative.

The opening remarks highlighted Ghana's emerging pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape, describing the recent launch of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Policy (GPMP) as the beginning of a new era for the country's pharmaceutical industry under the leadership of H.E. President John Dramani Mahama.

Strengthening Ghana's Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Ecosystem

Ghana has made significant progress in establishing the institutional, regulatory, technical and investment foundations required to support local pharmaceutical and biological product manufacturing. Key milestones highlighted included the tax-exempt bulk manufacturing arrangements supporting the production of Snake Venom Antiserum, Ghana's first biological product, in May 2025, as well as ongoing initiatives towards the production of Anti-Tetanus Serum and Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccines, scheduled for completion in 2026.

Other notable developments include the achievement of World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level 3 status by Ghana's National Regulatory Authority, strengthening confidence in the country's regulatory and quality assurance systems.

The National Vaccine Institute is also intensifying efforts to strengthen clinical trial capacity in Ghana as part of the country's ambition to develop an end-to-end vaccine manufacturing ecosystem. In partnership with the WHO Country Office in Ghana, the Institute recently completed a nationwide assessment of 15 clinical trial sites to identify opportunities for strengthening clinical research infrastructure and capabilities.

Additionally, plans are underway to establish the Ghana Biomanufacturing Training Consortium (Ghana BioMat), bringing together academia and industry to develop the technical knowledge, competencies and specialised skills required to support industrial-scale biomanufacturing.

Government's plans to invest directly in the Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub, an integrated ecosystem comprising contract manufacturing facilities and shared infrastructure, were also highlighted. These initiatives are complemented by the Government's commitment to prioritise the procurement of locally manufactured medicines while expanding access to African markets. The Ghana Export-Import Bank has also extended an invitation to pharmaceutical manufacturers to apply for concessionary financing to support industry growth.

Demand Certainty Remains Critical to Industry Growth

Despite the significant progress made, the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector continues to face challenges, particularly the absence of predictable and reliable long-term demand commitments.

It was observed that several companies pursuing development financing have encountered difficulties securing investment due to the absence of robust, multi-year procurement agreements capable of providing financial institutions with sufficient assurance of sustainable revenue streams.

This challenge underscores the importance of pooled procurement mechanisms in creating predictable markets, reducing investment risks and encouraging manufacturers to expand production capacity. The APPM therefore presents a significant opportunity to address these constraints by aggregating demand across African countries and creating a more structured and accessible market for locally manufactured health products.

Africa's Pooled Procurement Mechanism Opens New Market Opportunities

The remarks acknowledged the progress made by the Africa CDC in operationalising the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism under the leadership of Dr. Mariatou Tala Jallow, Director of APPM. What began as a concept has evolved into an operational initiative undertaking tendering processes, pre-qualifying suppliers and onboarding manufacturers.

Ghanaian manufacturers have already begun benefiting from emerging opportunities under the mechanism, with companies securing new supply contracts for Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Ethiopia.

The APPM offers an extraordinary opportunity for African pharmaceutical manufacturers to access a continental market of approximately 1.4 billion people through aggregated demand and coordinated procurement across African Union Member States.

However, concerns were raised about the relatively low participation of West African manufacturers. Out of 108 companies registered under the APPM, only 19 are from West Africa, representing approximately 17.6 per cent, while just three companies are from Ghana, representing 2.8 per cent of the total.

This situation highlights the urgent need for increased awareness, institutional coordination and targeted support to ensure that Ghanaian and other West African manufacturers are adequately positioned to participate in and benefit from the mechanism.

Stakeholder Engagement to Strengthen APPM Implementation

The two-day meeting brings together key stakeholders to build a common understanding of the APPM operational model and clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of Africa CDC, participating Member States, procuring entities and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Discussions are expected to focus on practical arrangements for demand aggregation and prioritisation of health products, including requirements for the APPM Supply Catalogue and demand forecasting.

Participants will also examine supplier participation, quality assurance and regulatory requirements, while identifying interventions needed to improve the readiness of African manufacturers to access pooled procurement opportunities.

Other key areas include procurement and financing arrangements, technical specifications for APPM tenders, and the development of a time-bound implementation roadmap to operationalise the mechanism in Ghana and support regional market access for priority health products.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the expected outcomes include:

• A shared understanding of the country enrolment process, APPM Supply Catalogue and the status of ongoing tendering activities.
• Agreed operational arrangements and institutional responsibilities for Africa CDC, participating Member States, procuring entities and manufacturers.
• Identification and agreement on priority health products and demand aggregation requirements.
• A documented understanding of procurement and tendering processes applicable to participating Member States.
• An agreed approach to technical specifications and quality assurance requirements for APPM tenders.
• A clear implementation roadmap with assigned responsibilities across Member State institutions and Africa CDC.
• A meeting report and joint communiqué or outcome statement documenting key agreements and decisions.

A Call to Action for African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

Concluding the opening remarks, the pharmaceutical industry was encouraged to move beyond the challenges of the past and take advantage of the emerging opportunities within Africa's rapidly evolving pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape.

The message emphasised that Ghana and the wider African continent are experiencing significant policy, regulatory, investment and market developments that provide a strong foundation for the growth of local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Stakeholders were therefore urged to organise, collaborate and position themselves strategically to take full advantage of these opportunities, particularly through active participation in the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism.

The emerging pharmaceutical landscape presents an opportunity for Africa to strengthen its manufacturing capacity, improve access to essential medicines and vaccines, and advance health security through increased local production. The time to act is now.