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Mr Alan Kyerematen, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has called the Ghanaian pharmaceutical manufacturing industry to make the country a manufacturing hub in West Africa.
“From the view point of being a competitive or comparative hub for manufacturing, I think we are convinced that we can develop Ghana into a new manufacturing hub, but there are certain critical requirements that will determine whether we succeed or fail as the manufacturing hub for West Africa,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen was speaking at the Maiden Fellows' Ball organised by the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) - Ghana Chapter and Ghana College of Pharmacists (GCP) held under the theme: " Medicines and Wealth Creation: Making Ghana the Hub of Pharmaceuticals production”.
The Minister said the existing manufacturing capacity has made Ghana the second most vibrant manufacturing sector in the whole of West Africa.
He said 70 percent of pharmaceutical products used in the country were imported adding that this is worrying and should be addressed by enhancing the manufacturing capacity to be able to meet the demand for pharmaceutical products in the country.
"Local production also constitutes about 33 per cent of all the national essential medical requirement this means that we already have the capacity to supply a significant part of our national requirement," he said.
Mr Kyerematen said for Ghana to achieve this, it is important for the country to have a good health care system adding that government has laid down plans to ensure a good health care system including improving on the National Health Insurance Scheme.