By Victoria Agyemang
Cape Coast, Aug 22, GNA-Eight research projects have received grants totalling €2 million under the PharmaVax Ghana programme to advance vaccine and pharmaceutical innovation and strengthen local manufacturing capacity.
The projects, which bring together Ghanaian research institutions and pharmaceutical companies, are expected to translate scientific discoveries into practical health products for Ghana and the wider African market.
The grants were presented at a “Research Meets Manufacturing” award ceremony on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in Accra and co-hosted by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the PharmaVax Ghana programme.
The initiative is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU).
The funded projects cover areas including child-friendly malaria medicines, herbal treatments for chronic diseases, vaccine stability and production, snake venom antiserum, and the use of artificial intelligence to accelerate antibody and diagnostic development for malaria and Mpox.
Ghanaian partners are contributing an additional €425,000 towards the implementation of the projects, demonstrating their commitment to locally driven research and pharmaceutical innovation.
The projects were selected through a competitive call for proposals jointly organised by the NVI and GIZ, and an independent nine-member committee of Ghanaian experts evaluated 43 proposals based on technical merit, public benefits, participation of a local manufacturer and the sustainability of the research beyond the project period.
Beyond the financial grants, selected beneficiaries are to receive technical assistance, networking opportunities and knowledge exchange to strengthen research capacity and support the commercialisation of locally developed health products.
Speaking at the ceremony, Health Minister Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the initiative represented more than the presentation of grants, describing it as the beginning of a collaboration to transform scientific discoveries into medicines and vaccines.
“This ceremony marks the beginning of an important journey – a journey that brings researchers, manufacturers, government and international partners together to transform scientific discoveries into medicines and vaccines that save and improve lives,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NVI, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, said Ghana possessed the scientific expertise, research institutions and an increasingly capable pharmaceutical industry needed to develop health solutions based on the country’s priorities.
He said stronger collaboration between researchers and manufacturers would create the foundation for medicines and vaccines that could be developed and manufactured in Ghana and subsequently benefit the wider Region.
Under the awards, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in partnership with Aspee Pharmaceuticals Ltd and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, received €300,000 to optimise a locally developed herbal pain medicine for scalable and sustainable local production.
The University of Cape Coast and Kash Chemist Ltd. received €100,000 to develop a fast-dissolving oral malaria tablet for children, with the aim of improving accurate dosing and treatment adherence.
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, together with Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd., received €500,000 to generate stability data to support regulatory approval and reliable local production of tetanus-diphtheria vaccines and tetanus antitoxin.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, working with Kantanka Herbal Pharmaceuticals and Research Centre Ltd, received €125,000 to generate scientific evidence on the safety and effectiveness of herbal treatments for alcohol-related liver disease and support their scale-up.
The Centre for Plant Medicine Research, in partnership with the Dodowa Health Research Centre and Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd., received €340,000 for two projects.
One will evaluate a locally developed herbal product for prostate health through a clinical trial, while the other will generate stability data for a locally produced snake venom antiserum with an extended shelf life.
The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens at the University of Ghana, in collaboration with DEK Vaccines Ltd, minoHealth AI Labs Ltd and INCAS Diagnostics & Services Ltd, received €300,000 to use a Ghanaian artificial intelligence platform to develop and scale monoclonal antibodies and diagnostics for Mpox and malaria.
Central University in partnership with Ernest Chemists Ltd, received €250,000 to develop and validate a standardised herbal treatment for hypertension and prepare it for large-scale local production.
The ceremony brought together government officials, academics, pharmaceutical manufacturers and development partners, including the Health Minister Akandoh, Germany’s Ambassador to Ghana, Frederik Landshöft; and Mr Jonas Cleas, Chargé d’affaires and Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Ghana.
The PharmaVax Ghana programme, implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ and the EU, seeks to strengthen Ghana’s pharmaceutical sector, with particular emphasis on vaccine production.
It forms part of the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+), supporting research and development, skills development, regulatory strengthening, private-sector development, technology transfer and investment promotion.
The programme is expected to contribute to a more sustainable pharmaceutical ecosystem in Ghana while strengthening health security and expanding local manufacturing of medicines and vaccines.
The NVI, established by the Government of Ghana in 2023 under the NVI Act 1097, is mandated to lead and coordinate the country’s efforts in vaccine and sera research, development and manufacturing.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah