By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Aug. 21, GNA – Ghana is to establish a pharmaceutical industrial park to increase domestic production of medicines, medical devices and other health products.
The project, under the Government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative, will create an integrated manufacturing hub for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, herbal medicines, research and development and related industries.
Ms Kafui Linda Abbah-Foli, Head of Project Development, 24-Hour Economy, disclosed this at the opening of the 2026 China-West Africa Medical and Health Industry Expo and AI Deployment and Project Cooperation Summit in Accra.
She said about 2,000 acres of land had been identified in the Shai-Osudoku District for the project, with pre-feasibility studies completed.
The project is expected to address key constraints facing manufacturers and entrepreneurs, including access to land and reliable bulk infrastructure.
“We are not just building a factory; we are building an ecosystem,” she said, explaining that the development would provide roads, electricity, water, wastewater and effluent treatment facilities required for pharmaceutical production.
Ms Abbah-Foli said the project had an anchor investor and a pipeline of potential tenants, including existing pharmaceutical manufacturers in Ghana and international companies from India, China and the United States.
She said Ghanaian health professionals in the diaspora had also expressed interest in the project.
Ms Abbah-Foli said project development activities were expected to be completed by the end of the year, followed by a full feasibility study, detailed design and master planning.
The development would also include a township and housing facilities for workers, with the ambition of supporting up to 20,000 people within its first five years of operation.
Ms Abbah-Foli said Ghana currently imported about 70 per cent of its pharmaceutical needs and most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients used in local production.
“The goal is to ensure that we build a park that will cater for the whole value chain,” she said, adding that the initiative would help Ghana become more self-sufficient in the production of essential medicines and health products.
She said the project would also strengthen the country’s resilience against future health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Abbah-Foli said land acquisition remained a potential challenge, but the 24-Hour Economy programme had introduced a participatory land acquisition model.
Under the model, traditional authorities and land-owning communities would be encouraged to become shareholders in the project and benefit through dividends and rental income.
She said the approach would enable communities to participate actively in the development and benefit directly from the economic opportunities it created.
Ms Abbah-Foli said Ghana’s changing disease burden, including the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as stroke and diabetes, made domestic pharmaceutical production increasingly important.
She said attracting manufacturers to produce medicines for such conditions locally would reduce dependence on imports and, in the long term, help reduce pressure on the national health bill.
Ms Abbah-Foli said Ghana must look beyond healthcare provision and focus on the entire health value chain, including the local production of medicines, medical equipment, supplies and health technologies.
“Ghana offered significant opportunities for investors, manufacturers, medical technology companies and research institutions seeking a destination for production, research, innovation and technology transfer,” she said.
Ms Abbah-Foli urged stakeholders to position Ghana not merely as a market for health products but as a centre for manufacturing, research, innovation and technology development.
The summit brought together stakeholders from Ghana, China and other parts of West Africa to explore opportunities in medical and health industry development, artificial intelligence, technology transfer, investment and project cooperation.
Speakers said stronger collaboration among the Government, industry, academia, research institutions and international investors would be critical to building a competitive health manufacturing sector capable of creating jobs, generating economic value and improving Ghana’s health security.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
21 Aug. 2026
Reporter: Samira Larbie