Mahama: Ghana’s health reset will prioritise local drug production

President John Dramani Mahama has said Ghana’s efforts to reset its health sector must go beyond the construction of hospitals and medical facilities to developing the country’s capacity to manufacture essential medicines locally.

He said the government’s approach was to build local industrial capacity, strengthen domestic pharmaceutical companies and reduce the country’s dependence on external sources for critical health supplies.

“When we say we are resetting Ghana’s health sector, we do not mean simply building medical facilities and waiting for foreign donors to supply the essential vaccines or IV fluids,” President Mahama said.

He explained that Ghana’s strategy would include supporting domestic pharmaceutical companies to manufacture essential medicines locally, backed by guaranteed state purchasing and regional market access.

President Mahama said this approach reflected the broader philosophy of the Accra Reset, arguing that Ghana’s national transformation could not be separated from efforts to reform the global systems governing health, finance and development. “A national reset without a global reset leaves us building on shifting sand,” he said.