By Maxwell Awumah
Ho, Nov. 9, GNA – Dr Benjamin Botwe, a distinguished medicines regulatory expert and consultant, has proposed the adoption of dynamic, industry-focused frameworks to transform the School of Pharmacy (SOP) of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).
The proposed frameworks, anchored on curriculum reviews and institutional advancement, are intended to strengthen industry-oriented pharmaceutical education and equip graduates with the requisite skills to respond to emerging developments in the pharmaceutical sector.
Dr Botwe said the proposed curriculum transformation blueprint for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programme should allow students to pursue specialised pathways in Industrial Pharmacy and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Synthesis, Regulatory Science and Pharmacovigilance, or Biomanufacturing and Vaccine Technology.
He proposed a five-year timeline for the full implementation of the programme.
Speaking at a special congregation to confer degrees on about 52 graduates of the fifth cohort of pharmacy students, which coincided with the school’s 10th anniversary celebration, Dr Botwe outlined four key pillars each for curriculum review and institutional advancement to achieve the proposed transformation.
On curriculum review, he called for the re-engineering of core coursework to replace generic chemistry modules with practical, hands-on training in process validation, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and Quality by Design (QbD) principles.
Dr Botwe, also a Quality Assurance expert, advocated a shift towards case-based and problem-based learning (PBL), replacing traditional rote-learning examinations with assessments modelled on actual challenges confronting local pharmaceutical industries and clinical practice.
For instance, he suggested that students could be tasked to reformulate a locally manufactured amoxicillin suspension that failed stability testing under Ghana’s high-humidity climatic conditions, classified as Zone IVB.
He also called for the institutionalisation of structured industrial and regulatory clerkships through partnerships with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Pharmacy Council, bioequivalence centres, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) and specialised bioprocessing hubs to provide students with practical industry exposure.
Another recommendation was the introduction of an agile Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) co-curriculum, incorporating standard modules in Pharmaceutical Informatics and Data Analytics into research methodology coursework.
This, he said, would equip students to responsibly use computational tools and basic AI models for literature discovery, metabolic pathway tracking and predictive modelling of drug-excipient interactions.
“This must be strictly paired with robust training on data validation, intellectual property protection, and the severe clinical risks of unverified algorithmic outputs,” he cautioned.
On institutional capacity and advancement, Dr Botwe proposed the establishment of an Industrial API and Phytomedicine pilot plant to isolate and standardise active compounds from local medicinal plants.
He suggested that UHAS could use its multipurpose laboratories to establish the facility as a technology transfer centre, where pharmacy students would gain hands-on experience in scaling up laboratory formulations into industrial-grade batches.
The initiative, he said, could contribute to reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical raw materials.
He further proposed the establishment of an Open-Access National Biorepository and a Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to catalogue undergraduate and postgraduate research according to its potential industrial applications.
The platform, he said, could facilitate the licensing and co-funding of research undertaken by UHAS students, translating academic findings into commercially viable innovations.
Dr Botwe also advocated the expansion of specialised postgraduate training in Regulatory Science and Biomanufacturing, building on the University’s newly established postgraduate frameworks.
He proposed advanced Master’s and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programmes tailored to industrial scaling, Quality Assurance (QA), Regulatory Affairs, Biopharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Analysis and Process Validation.
“It is expected to create a pipeline of highly specialized pharmacists and scientists, capable of handling complex biologics and vaccine manufacturing, moving beyond traditional clinical and community pharmacy training,” he added.
Dr Botwe projected a co-design research problems based on actual factory floor limitations, economic constraints and global supply chain bottlenecks and secure private-sector funding for UHAS laboratories, while providing local factories with locally sourced, scientifically validated alternatives to stabilize prices and ensure medicine sovereignty.
He congratulated the School of Pharmacy on its phenomenal ten years, while graduating the class urging them to go out, shatter the status quo, and build the future ‘we all wait for.’
Prof Lydia Aziato, Vice-Chancellor of UHAS said Management has introduced new postgraduate programmes: MPhil in Pharmaceutical Microbiology; PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology; MPhil in Pharmaceutics; PhD in Pharmaceutics, in accordance with existing programmes such as MPhil/PhD programmes in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacognosy.
She commented Dr Botwe for his insightful presentation, which she said would shape the progression of SOP going forward.
The Vice-Chancellor exhorted the graduands to stay abreast with emerging trends and innovations, be curious and never cease learning, embrace teamwork, because collaboration drives excellence urging them to be guided by the ethos and values of UHAS: Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, and Service and Care. Participate in alumni association events and give back.
GNA
Edited by: Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reported by: Maxwell Awumah
Email: [email protected]