President Mahama with officials at the forum
The Government has announced the allocation of $50 million to support the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) in its vaccine research and manufacturing activities.
The support, announced by President John Mahama at the Ghana Vaccine Manufacturing Investment Forum held in Accra, will help in the building of a vaccine manufacturing infrastructure.
It will also support compliance with international regulatory standards as well as the training of scientists and technicians through the biomanufacturing training consortium.
Speaking at the forum hosted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the National Vaccine Institute, President Mahama further directed stakeholders to put in place the necessary steps, in the next two months, to formalise the review and strengthening of Ghana’s procurement systems.
He also called for the prioritisation of all public procurement processes for products manufactured locally.
President Mahama also urged stakeholders to support Ghanaian manufacturers, to enable them export to other African countries and participate in the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), de-risk guarantees and tailored financing instruments to facilitate access to Afrexim loans for Atlantic Lifesciences and DEK Vaccines.
Afreximbank announced a funding package for Atlantic Lifesciences and DEK Vaccines through its African Life Sciences Foundation Fund to support research on diseases that disproportionately affect Africa.
The fund will prioritise drug research and health interventions focused on African populations.
The forum built on the vision of the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit hosted by President Mahama which saw the launch of the “SUSTAIN Initiative”, setting the stage to scale up sovereign transition and institutional networks for investment-driven, country-led health systems anchored in local ownership, partnerships and regional cooperation.
A Daily Guide Report