The Minister for Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has stated that Ghana is positioning itself as a future local vaccine manufacturer.
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at a one-day meeting last Friday in Accra to discuss the successful transition to a vaccine manufacturer and “self-financing” of vaccines by 2030.
According to him, the importance of having a transition roadmap to ensure financial sustainability would increase vaccine equity and access.
“The objective is to start manufacturing vaccines from 2025 and to manufacture 600 million doses of various vaccines a year, including vaccines for malaria, HPV, pneumonia, rotavirus and cholera,” he said.
The Minister commended the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) for supporting approximately 80 per cent of the cost of vaccines and their delivery, including health systems over the years.
“With their support, Ghana has been implementing commendable high-quality preventive and reactive vaccination campaigns in response to public health emergencies,” he said.
On his part, Dr Kelechi Ohiri Chief, Strategy Policy and Innovation Officer at GAVI, commended Ghana for achieving a remarkable milestone in maintaining a solid programme for immunization.
He underscored the need for Ghana to develop a clear transition plan that would ensure co-financing to avoid a shortage of vaccines.
The Chairman of the meeting, Dr Anarfi Baah, stressed the need for financial mechanisms that are sustainable, reliable and recurrent. He also called for a transparent procurement system, motivated workforce and strategic communication that would tackle misinformation and disinformation to ensure a smooth transition.
Ghana is due to transition out of GAVI support by 2030 in line with the Vaccine Alliance transition policy that aims to move countries from development assistance to domestic financing of immunization programmes.
As per the model, Ghana entered accelerated transition in January 2022 and was expected to transition out of Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI’s) support in 2027. During this phase, the government is expected to increase its share of vaccine costs to 100% and become fully self-financing.
However, under the revised policies approved in December 2022, Ghana will now stay in accelerated transition until 2029 and definitely must transition in January 2030.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
