The German Development Cooperation and the European Union under the brand Team Europe, have initiated a collaboration to support the implementation of Ghana’s first-ever major strategic intervention on domestic vaccine production. This forms part of a 10-year Government of Ghana vaccine manufacturing roadmap intended to make Ghana a vaccine manufacturing hub in the sub-region. The partnership will facilitate the upgrade and strengthening of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority and contribute to the production of various vaccines, including Ghana’s first batch of COVID-19 vaccines.
The ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed gaps in national health systems and brought many lessons to the fore. About five million lives have already been lost globally to the pandemic (WHO, 2021). Other negative consequences include job losses, high living costs, loss of government revenue, and economic decline (World Bank, 2021).As a measure to protect citizens against the pandemic, vaccines have now become a high priority on the agenda of many governments globally.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated high demand for vaccines globally, which exceeded supply, Ghana and many other developing countries could not access adequate vaccines for their populations. Ghana and the majority of African countries will be unable to meet the WHO’s 40 percent vaccination target by the end of 2021. While some other regions and countries have recorded over 50 per cent access to COVID vaccine, less than 5 percent of Africa’s population was able to access the vaccine at the end of 2021.
The Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko, explains that “this project focuses primarily on the FDA and seeks to strengthen the regulatory systems of the Authority with the objective of maintaining requisite WHO and international regulatory standards.”
The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Ghana, Mad. Dorothee Dinkelaker, notes, “the pandemic has had severe effects on health and economic development in Ghana.” Equal access to vaccines is crucial and Germany is committed to supporting Ghana in her endeavor to establish domestic vaccine production. Supporting the FDA Ghana in fulfilling their role in vaccine production and regulation is an important step in the implementation of the government’s plan. “
The project is co-funded by the EU programme, “Contribution to the Africa Investment Platform (AIP) – leveraging COVID-19 impact mitigation support” and implemented under the German Government funded GIZ-project “Support to Vaccine Manufacturing in Ghana project.”
Within the context of the Global Gateway, is a new European strategy prioritizing among others, the security of supply chains and the development of local manufacturing capacities. The EU will be working with partner countries to diversify their pharmaceutical supply chains and contribute to addressing international supply chain bottlenecks.
Vaccine manufacturing globally is a complex process that requires high precision of standards, rigorous testing, and controls. While Ghana’s ambition to establish a vaccine industry is laudable, a lot needs to be done to build the regulatory institutions, systems, and processes. “The European Union is equally committed to contributing to an enabling environment for domestic vaccine production in Ghana. Strengthening the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority in their regulatory function for vaccines is therefore well placed,” said EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly.
The support to Ghana Food and Drugs Authority is in the framework of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines, and health technologies (MAV+) in Africa. The initiative will help create an enabling environment for local vaccine manufacturing in Africa and tackle barriers and demand siders, backed by €1 billion from the EU budget and the European development finance institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The project is for a period of 27 months, from April 2022 to June 2024, with a total funding support of over €2.8 Million Euros; this is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The government of Ghana has already committed an amount of US$ 25 million seed money to the overall vaccine manufacture initiative and this project forms an integral part of the overall roadmap.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Government, has been playing a lead role in facilitating and coordinating the interest and support of various partners on the endeavor towards domestic vaccine production. “We seek to contribute to solutions that support efforts of national governments, development partners, and the private sector in the fight against COVID-19; this initiative is a first step to empower African countries and Ghana in particular, to have their own vaccination plants. We remain very committed to supporting this implementation,” explains Country Director of GIZ Ghana, Mad. Regina Bauerochse Barbosa.
The joint action will involve an upgrade of FDA from WHO Maturity Level 3 to a Maturity Level 4 regulatory agency for vaccines, as well as an upgrade of the FDA pharmaceutical microbiology laboratory to a biosafety level 3; capacity building of FDA officers; strengthening of the inspection and licensing function, as well as strengthening of the market authorization function. The support will ensure that the FDA has the capacity in terms of facilities and personnel to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of locally manufactured vaccines that meet WHO and international standards.
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Media Contacts:
Oswald Felli, GIZ Ghana – Head of Corporate Communications, oswald.felli@giz.de +233 55
277 3240
Esi Asante, Delegation of the European Union to Ghana – Press and Information Officer, rejoice-
esi.asante@eeas.europa.eu
Mrs. Rhoda E. Appiah; Food and Drug Authority, Ghana; +233505254600.
Source: GIZ Ghana
