The Government of Ghana has formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to join the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM).
In the historic development that transforms a presidential directive into a tangible economic and health-security victory, the agreement instantly expands the addressable market for Ghanaian pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers from a domestic base of 33 million people to over 1.4 billion consumers across the African continent.
The landmark agreement, inked on August 21, 2026 in Accra, delivers squarely on the directive issued by President John Mahama during the Ghana Vaccines Manufacturing Investment Forum held in August 2025.
At that forum, the President explicitly ordered reforms to prioritize locally produced vaccines and pharmaceuticals in public procurement and made a firm pledge to secure regional market access for Ghanaian producers—a promise now given practical effect through the leadership of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI).
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh (MP), Minister for Health, who represented Ghana at the signing alongside Africa CDC Director-General H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, underscored the political weight of the occasion.
“This MoU gives practical effect to the commitment of H. E. President John Dramani Mahama at the Ghana Vaccines Manufacturing Investment Forum held in Accra in August 2025,” said Minister Akandoh. “As you recall, the President directed that reforms be implemented to ensure locally produced vaccines and pharmaceuticals are prioritized in public procurement in Ghana. Additionally, the President also pledged to support Ghanaian producers to access regional markets and participate in the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism. Ghana’s joining the APPM will be strongly complemented by ongoing efforts to set up a system for Advance Purchase Commitment to de-risk investments in local manufacturing in Ghana.”
A Continental Framework with Deep Legal Roots
A press release issued by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) explained further that the APPM was not a fledgling initiative but a mature, continental market-shaping and pooled procurement mechanism firmly grounded in African Union law.
The APPM was established under African Union Assembly Decisions, which urges all Member States to join. By signing on, Ghana positions itself at the heart of the continent’s new health security architecture.
Transformative Implications for Ghanaian Industry
For Ghanaian manufacturers, the implications are nothing short of transformative:
– Unprecedented Market Access: Both established pharmaceutical firms and upcoming players within the Government’s planned Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub now have a structured pathway to supply quality-assured health products, vaccines, and medical equipment to all 55 AU Member States through Africa CDC’s demand aggregation.
– Sustainable and Predictable Demand: By solving the critical challenge of a small domestic market, the APPM ensures the long-term viability of local manufacturing investments, creating expanded, predictable demand for African-made products.
– Strengthened Health Security: The mechanism will improve access to affordable, quality-assured products while bolstering supply security, collective purchasing power, and intra-African trade—aligning perfectly with Africa CDC’s Strategic Plan (2023-2027) and the African Health Security and Sovereignty (AHSS) Framework.
Ghana’s Regulatory Sovereignty Preserved
Crucially, the MoU safeguards national regulatory authority. All procurement under the APPM remains subject to the exclusive regulatory oversight of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for marketing authorization, import control, batch release, and post-market surveillance. The Ghana FDA is well-respected across the continent as a WHO Maturity Level 3 Regulator for Medicines, ensuring that the highest standards of quality and safety will govern all products supplied under the mechanism.
NVI at the Forefront of Execution
Commenting on the signing, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, described the moment as a defining inflection point for both the institution and the nation.
“This is a defining moment for Ghana and for the NVI,” said Dr. Sodzi-Tettey. “For years, our local manufacturers have been constrained by a market of 33 million. With APPM, we now have access to a market of 1.4 billion Africans. This MoU delivers on President Mahama’s vision for Ghana to become a regional hub for vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It guarantees that when we manufacture Tetanus Diphtheria vaccines and Anti-tetanus Serum in 2026, and other essential products including Snake Venom anti-Serum which we have already manufactured in 2025, we have a continental market ready to buy. The NVI is fully committed to working with Africa CDC to make the Accra Regional Meeting in November a success with practical implications.”
Next Steps: Operationalization in Accra
In line with the MoU, the NVI and Africa CDC will jointly operationalize Ghana’s participation during the upcoming Regional Meeting on the APPM, scheduled to be hosted in Accra in November 2026. The meeting will bring together political leadership, policymakers, regulators, manufacturers, and procurement agencies to agree on the APPM Supply Catalogue, technical specifications, and detailed implementation arrangements.
The National Vaccine Institute said in the press statement that it looks forward to working with all stakeholders to realize Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sovereignty.
The National Vaccine Institute, established by Act 1056 of 2023, is mandated to coordinate, supervise, and facilitate local manufacturing of vaccines and sera in Ghana.
