Ministry of Health hosts Ghana vaccine manufacturing forum

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and in partnership with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), has organized a Vaccine Manufacturing Forum scheduled today, August 6, 2025, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra.

The event was held on the theme -“Mobilising Sustainable Financing to Accelerate Vaccine Development and Manufacturing in Ghana: The Role of Financing Institutions and Development Partners.”

This high-level forum will bring together key state actors, financial institutions, investors, development partners, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and research institutions to explore innovative financing strategies to support Ghana’s vaccine manufacturing agenda.

The Special Guest of Honour for the forum is President John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, and the Guest of Honour is the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to strengthen national and regional vaccine research and biomanufacturing capabilities has become more urgent than ever.

Following this, the Government of Ghana is committed to positioning the country as a leading hub for vaccines and pharmaceuticals within the sub-region.

Despite Ghana’s solid foundation in health regulation, research, and local pharmaceutical production, financing remains a major barrier to fully realizing this vision. The forum seeks to mobilise sustainable investment to bridge the estimated $2.5 billion funding gap required to establish an end-to-end vaccine manufacturing ecosystem in Ghana.

GIZ and the World Bank have been supporting the Ghanaian government’s plan to be more self-sufficient in pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing since 2021.

On behalf of the German Development Ministry (BMZ) and the European Union, GIZ is implementing a programme known as PharmaVax Ghana, which is closely aligned with the National Vaccine Institute’s (NVI) objectives.

Meanwhile, local pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd and DEK Vaccines Ltd have signed Memoranda of Understanding with various international partners to advance technology transfer agreements aimed at enabling vaccine fill-and-finish operations within Ghana.

The upcoming forum will serve as a platform for dialogue among stakeholders across both the public and private sectors. It aims to:

 Explore blended finance opportunities and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs);
 Identify supportive policy and regulatory frameworks to attract long-term investments.
 Generate actionable proposals and partnerships to accelerate Ghana’s journey toward vaccine self-sufficiency.
To ensure broad engagement, the event will be held in a hybrid format—accommodating both in-person and virtual participation from stakeholders locally and globally.