“Medicine Security Is National Security”: PSGH Demands 70% Local Drug Production
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) is urging government to scale up local pharmaceutical manufacturing to meet at least 70% of the country’s medicine needs, warning that Ghana’s heavy dependence on imported medicines has become a national security threat.
The call was made during a commemorative engagement at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi as part of activities marking the Society’s 90th anniversary.
PSGH President, Pharm. Paul Owusu Donkor, said access to medicines must now be treated as a security priority, not merely a public health concern.
“Health is wealth, we have said many times. Now, pharmaceutical care needs are also a national security issue,” he said.
He noted that Ghana currently produces only 30% of its pharmaceutical needs locally and called for sustained investment to raise that figure to 70%.
Pharm. Donkor cautioned that continued reliance on global supply chains exposes Ghana to external shocks.
“If we continue to rely on global supply chain systems for our medicines, then we are compromising on our national security issues,” he warned.
He said achieving the 70% target would require deliberate investment in manufacturing infrastructure, capital, land, technology and human resource development, adding that stronger local production could position Ghana as a pharmaceutical hub for West Africa.
Reflecting on the Society’s 90‑year history, Pharm. Donkor said pharmacists have ensured equitable access to medicines nationwide while maintaining high professional standards.
“In 90 years, pharmacists have ensured that medicines are not only affordable and available, they are accessible as well,” he said, assuring that patient safety remains the profession’s top priority.
The PSGH also echoed remarks by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Special Guest of Honour, who urged pharmacists to maintain high standards while expanding access to pharmaceutical services. The Society noted that Otumfuo has been a Fellow of the PSGH since 2012.
Beyond manufacturing, the Society raised alarm over the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), linking it to medicine misuse and the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products. Pharm. Donkor said underserved rural and peri‑urban communities are particularly vulnerable due to illegal medicine vendors.
“Sometimes the underserved peri‑urban and rural areas become a void that is filled by medicine peddlers, counterfeit, fake, spurious and substandard medicines,” he said.
He called on regulators—including the Pharmacy Council and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)—to intensify enforcement against falsified medicines.
“The regulator must continue to crack the whip on persons that bring these falsified medicines into our supply chain system. That is how we can uproot the menace of antimicrobial resistance,” he added.
Pharm. Donkor stressed that pharmacists remain central to antimicrobial stewardship but said defeating AMR will require coordinated action across regulators, health institutions and government.
The anniversary celebration also honoured distinguished members of the PSGH, including Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice‑Chancellor of KNUST.
— CitiNewsRoom