Ghanaian vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturers are set to gain access to a continental market of about 1.4 billion people following Ghana’s participation in the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM).

The Government of Ghana and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 21, 2026, in Accra to formalise Ghana’s participation in the mechanism.

The agreement was signed by the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and the Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya.

The APPM is a continental market-shaping and pooled procurement mechanism established under African Union decisions.

It seeks to aggregate demand across African countries and create a structured market for quality-assured health products, vaccines and medical equipment produced on the continent.

For Ghanaian manufacturers, the arrangement provides a pathway to supply products to all 55 African Union member states through Africa CDC’s demand aggregation system.

The National Vaccine Institute (NVI) says the mechanism could help address one of the major constraints facing local manufacturers: the limited size of Ghana’s domestic market.

The APPM is expected to create expanded and more predictable demand for African-made products. This could help improve the viability of investments in local vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the agreement gives effect to a commitment made by President John Dramani Mahama at the Ghana Vaccines Manufacturing Investment Forum in August 2025.

“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.”

He said the President had directed reforms to prioritise locally produced vaccines and pharmaceuticals in public procurement.

He added that the President had also pledged to support Ghanaian producers to access regional markets and participate in the APPM.

The Minister said Ghana’s participation would be complemented by efforts to establish an Advance Purchase Commitment system to de-risk investments in local manufacturing.

Chief Executive Officer of the NVI, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, described the agreement as a defining moment for Ghana’s vaccine industry.

“This is a defining moment for Ghana and for the NVI. 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.”

He said the agreement supports President Mahama’s vision of making Ghana a regional hub for vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The NVI said local manufacturers will also benefit from predictable continental demand for products including vaccines and essential medical supplies.

Sodzi-Tettey said Ghana would have a ready continental market when it manufactures Tetanus Diphtheria vaccines and Anti-tetanus Serum in 2026.

He also cited snake venom antiserum, which the NVI says was already manufactured in 2025.

Despite the continental procurement arrangement, Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority will retain regulatory control over products supplied through the mechanism.

The MoU reaffirms the FDA’s exclusive authority over marketing authorisation, import control, batch release and post-market surveillance.

The NVI and Africa CDC will begin operationalising Ghana’s participation at a Regional Meeting on the APPM to be hosted in Accra in November 2026.

The meeting will bring together political leaders, policymakers, regulators, manufacturers and procurement agencies to agree on the APPM Supply Catalogue, technical specifications and implementation arrangements.

Sodzi-Tettey said the NVI was committed to ensuring the November meeting produces practical outcomes for Ghana’s manufacturing sector.