Ghana to replicate India’s $3bn PharmaCity; inch closer to pharmaceutical hub goal
Ghana is set to become the Continent’s pharmaceutical hub with plans to create a pharmaceutical enclave [Pharma Enclave].
The pharmaceutical enclave set to be built by government is expected to be modelled after India’s $3 billion PharmaCity.
The construction of the pharmaceutical enclave comes on the back of the Covid pandemic and forms part of government’s Ghana CARES Obaatanpa Programme as well as government’s overall agenda to become the medical hub of the continent.
Speaking at the Exchange Workshop on the establishment of the Pharma Enclave, Chairman of the Ghana National Chamber of Pharmacy, Harrison Abutiate, noted the time has come for the country to self-produce drugs for itself and the continent at large.
“Covid has thought us not to depend on external production of drugs but rather depend on local production.
“The time has come to change the narrative and self-produce drugs and the time is now,” he remarked.
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Further noting that the Pharma Enclave will help bring both foreign and local investors to invest in the setting up of the enclave and ultimately help the government achieve its pharmaceutical hub goal.
Also speaking at the Exchange Workshop was Kwasi Ofori-Antwi, a representative from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, who noted that the Pharma Enclave is part government’s strategic plan to make Ghana a pharmaceutical hub on the continent adding the government is currently looking at upgrading pharmacies in the country to conform to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
Further adding that government is looking at incentivizing the pharmaceutical industry to help with its growth and development.
The Pharma Enclave will be set up as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with it’s shareholding made up of the government, foreign and local investors.