Ghana must develop local capacity to produce pharmaceutical ingredients – Regulatory expert
Medicine regulatory and quality assurance expert and consultant Benjamin Botwe has urged Ghana to develop a strategic plan to build local capacity to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as part of efforts to achieve health sovereignty.
Ghanaian regulatory expert Benjamin Botwe has called for a strategic plan to foster local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to attain health independence. He contends that the nation's reliance on imported chemical compounds for pharmaceutical manufacturing hinders its potential to achieve self-sufficiency in the health sector.
Speaking at the School of Pharmacy's 10th anniversary celebrations at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Volta Region, Botwe stressed the necessity of a focused policy to bolster domestic pharmaceutical production. He emphasized that genuine health sovereignty entails not merely packaging imported substances into capsules but rather cultivating the capability to synthesize APIs locally.
Botwe advocated for closer regulatory coordination with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to alleviate operational obstacles, all while upholding globally recognized quality benchmarks. He expressed apprehension over Ghana's incapacity to convert pharmaceutical research into tangible solutions, insisting that research outcomes should transcend academic publications to stimulate industrial advancement and innovation.
Botwe urged the upcoming generation of pharmacists to broaden their professional horizons and investigate opportunities beyond conventional clinical and community pharmacy roles. While acknowledging the significance of pharmacists working in healthcare facilities and community dispensaries, he maintained that the profession possessed a broader role in bolstering Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry.
He identified industrial production, regulatory science, quality assurance, and biomanufacturing as vital domains where pharmacists could bolster the country's growth. Botwe challenged pharmacy students and young professionals to position themselves as problem-solvers capable of tackling structural obstacles within the pharmaceutical sector rather than confining their career trajectories to traditional paths.
He stressed the need for a new breed of pharmacists equipped to foster innovation, strengthen local manufacturing, and aid in the development of a more resilient healthcare system.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
