By Memuna Asumah
Ghana has taking a giant step to start producing essential vaccines (such as; COVID-19, Tuberculosis and Malaria) locally within the next two years.
This follows President Nana Akufo-Addo’s sod-cutting event on Tuesday, 18th April 2023, for the commencement of work on the construction of DEKs Vaccines Limited, a private sector-led consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies.
The President in his remarks indicated that, the vaccine nationalism that was played out by the developed world, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, meant that we had to take urgent, critical steps towards making sure that never again would we be victims or pawns of the international vaccine order.
“We had to take urgent, critical steps towards making sure that never again would we be victims or pawns of the international vaccine order,” adding “it was imperative that we took our destiny into our own hands.”
In the short term of two years, DEKs Vaccines Limited, according to the President will fill, finish, and package COVID-19 and other vaccines such as those against tuberculosis and malaria.
In the medium-term, that is in five years, the target is to continue the establishment of more domestic vaccine manufacturing plants in the country to manufacture vaccines to meet WHO GMP standards, with the long-term target being to produce a candidate vaccine in 10 years, using innovative technologies.
The beginning of the journey was in 2022, when President Akufo-Addo announced a consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies ready to package and distribute COVID-19 vaccines that will be produced by BioNTech in Africa.
The German manufacturing giant, BioNTech on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at a similar event cut sod for the construction of a vaccine production plant in Kigali, Rwanda, which will have Ghana and Senegal playing the packaging and finishing roles.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana has already set up a consortium for the project.
“A consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies led by DEKs Vaccine Limited is working closely with BioNTech Rwanda, BioNTech Germany and BioNTech Denmark to package and finish the product in Ghana from the plant here in Rwanda”, he said.
Expressing his gratitude to President Paul Kagame for the invitation to participate in the event, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the commencement of construction “signals to the rest of the world the commencement of this end-to-end vaccine manufacturing facility, involving Rwanda, Senegal and my own country of Ghana.”
In his remarks, the President indicated that the import of the Pan-African Project means that Ghana, Senegal and Rwanda must work together, the reason why the relationship between the Food and Drugs Authorities (FDA) of Ghana and Rwanda is being deepened with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, 24th June.
“Through this, FDA Ghana, which achieved WHO Global Benchmarking Maturity Level Three (3) in 2020, and is working hard to achieve Maturity Level Four (4) by the end of this year, will assist FDA Rwanda to attain WHO Maturity Level Three (3) as soon as possible. Both agencies will collaborate further in vaccine drug product manufacturing, fill, finish and release in their respective countries,” he said.
“As I said in Marburg, the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Project fits perfectly with Ghana’s roadmap for domestic vaccine development and manufacturing. Ghana is ready to play her role, and I reaffirm, once again, her determination to make the Project work successfully.”
