By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
7 October 2026
President John Dramani Mahama has called on Indian businesses to invest in Ghana’s pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing sectors as the country intensifies efforts to build local capacity and reduce dependence on imported health products.
The President made the appeal during a courtesy call at the Presidency by India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is in Ghana for an official visit.
The meeting formed part of broader Ghana–India discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and development cooperation, with pharmaceuticals emerging as one of the key areas of interest.
According to Ghana’s Presidency, Mahama said Ghana was “open for business” and invited Indian companies to take advantage of opportunities in the country’s pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing industries.
Mahama Pushes Local Pharmaceutical Production
Mahama said Ghana’s new national pharmaceutical framework places emphasis on domestic production, reflecting the government’s wider objective of strengthening the country’s health sector through local industrial capacity.
The President linked the pharmaceutical agenda to his Accra Reset initiative, which promotes greater self-reliance and local value addition in critical sectors.
Rather than relying predominantly on imported medicines and vaccines, the government wants Ghana to develop the capacity to manufacture more health products domestically.
Mahama has previously argued that health should be treated not simply as a social expenditure but also as an area capable of generating industrial growth, investment and employment.
During the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt earlier this month, the President said Africa imports more than 70 per cent of its pharmaceuticals and almost 99 per cent of its vaccines, describing local manufacturing as both a health-security priority and an economic opportunity.
Indian Businesses Encouraged to Invest
The President specifically called on Indian businesses to consider Ghana as an investment destination within the pharmaceutical sector.
India has a large pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, giving Ghana an opportunity to seek investment, technical expertise and potential technology partnerships from Indian companies.
Mahama pointed to the potential for international investment to complement Ghanaian businesses as the country seeks to establish stronger domestic production capacity.
He cited the partnership between Atlantic Life Sciences and Ghanaian pharmaceutical company KinaPharma as an example of efforts to develop indigenous vaccine manufacturing capacity.
According to the Presidency, Mahama said there remains significant room for expansion in Ghana’s vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
Pharmaceuticals At The Centre Of Ghana–India Cooperation
The discussions with Jaishankar come after Ghana and India identified pharmaceuticals as one of several areas where bilateral cooperation could be expanded.
Earlier discussions between Ghanaian and Indian officials also highlighted agriculture, information and communication technology, pharmaceuticals and skills development as areas of mutual interest.
The pharmaceutical focus is particularly significant because India has developed a substantial manufacturing base for medicines and related health products.
For Ghana, partnerships with Indian companies could potentially provide opportunities for investment, technology transfer, skills development and expansion of local manufacturing.
The exact companies or investment commitments resulting from Jaishankar’s meeting with Mahama were not detailed in the Presidency’s announcement.
Ghana Wants to Become a Producer, Not Just a Consumer
Mahama’s appeal forms part of a broader strategy to move Ghana towards greater production of essential health products.
The President has repeatedly argued that African countries need to strengthen their domestic pharmaceutical industries rather than remain heavily dependent on external suppliers.
In July, he called on African countries to build more self-reliant health systems and increase local manufacturing of medicines and vaccines.
He said Ghana was working to empower institutions including the Food and Drugs Authority and the National Vaccine Institute as part of the effort to move the country from being primarily a consumer of health products to becoming a producer.
The government is also linking pharmaceutical manufacturing to the wider African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which could provide locally manufactured products with access to a much larger continental market.
Vaccine Manufacturing Also Part Of The Agenda
The discussion with Jaishankar extends beyond conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing to include vaccines.
Ghana has been developing domestic vaccine-production capacity as part of its broader health-security agenda.
Mahama previously said the country was working to expand local vaccine manufacturing, while highlighting the importance of partnerships that connect research, manufacturing, regulation and distribution.
The President has argued that stronger domestic production could help African countries respond more effectively to future health emergencies and reduce vulnerability to disruptions in international supply chains.
India’s Expertise Could Support Ghana’s Industrial Goals
India’s pharmaceutical sector has long been an important component of its manufacturing economy.
For Ghana, closer engagement with Indian pharmaceutical companies could therefore extend beyond importing medicines to exploring joint ventures, manufacturing partnerships, technology transfer, research and development and workforce training.
Such cooperation would be consistent with Ghana’s stated objective of attracting investment that contributes to local value addition and job creation.
The government has also indicated that it wants foreign investment to support broader industrial development rather than simply serve the domestic market through imports.
Mahama Says Ghana Is Open For Business
The pharmaceutical discussions were also part of a broader investment message from the President.
Mahama told the Indian delegation that Ghana’s economic conditions were improving and described the country as an increasingly attractive destination for global capital.
According to the Presidency, the President cited lower inflation, declining interest rates and relative currency stability as factors supporting his argument that this is an appropriate time for investment in Ghana.
He also said foreign direct investment into Ghana had risen from US$2.6 billion in 2025, with projections that it could exceed US$3 billion in 2026.
The figures were presented by the President as part of his broader appeal to Indian investors.
The Accra Reset And Health Sovereignty
The pharmaceutical discussions are closely connected to Mahama’s Accra Reset philosophy.
The initiative seeks greater self-reliance for African countries in critical areas including health, while advocating changes in the international systems that shape financing, trade and development.
In a speech delivered in New York last month, Mahama said Ghana’s domestic agenda was focused on economic self-reliance, local value addition and stronger public-health infrastructure.
He argued that Ghana’s health reset should include the development of local industries capable of manufacturing essential medicines and vaccines, supported by domestic demand and access to regional markets.
The President has also emphasized that pursuing health sovereignty does not mean withdrawing from international cooperation. Instead, he has described the objective as creating more balanced partnerships in which African countries have greater productive capacity and control.
What Indian Investment Could Mean For Ghana
If investment discussions translate into actual pharmaceutical manufacturing projects, Ghana could potentially benefit through new factories, technology transfer, technical training and employment.
Local manufacturing could also reduce some dependence on imported medicines and strengthen the resilience of Ghana’s health-supply chains.
For Indian companies, Ghana could provide a base for accessing the wider West African and African markets, particularly as AfCFTA continues to develop.
However, converting investment interest into manufacturing capacity will require financing, reliable infrastructure, regulatory capacity, skilled workers and a sufficiently predictable business environment.
A Broader Ghana–India Partnership
Jaishankar’s visit comes as Ghana and India seek to broaden their relationship beyond traditional diplomatic engagement.
The two countries are also discussing cooperation in agriculture, mechanisation, value addition, industrialisation, information technology, scholarships and job creation.
The pharmaceutical sector has emerged as one of the clearest areas where Ghana is seeking to combine Indian expertise and investment with its own industrial-development priorities.
For the Mahama administration, the objective is to make such partnerships contribute to domestic production and employment.
For India, deeper engagement with Ghana provides opportunities to strengthen its economic relationship with an important West African partner.
From Diplomatic Talks To Investment
The meeting between Mahama and Jaishankar provides another step in the evolving Ghana–India relationship, but the next stage will be measured by what practical partnerships emerge.
Ghana is seeking investors capable of helping develop pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capacity, while India has an established industrial base and expertise in the sector.
The government will now have to translate the investment appeal into concrete projects involving financing, technology, production and skills development.
For Ghana, the broader objective is clear: strengthen domestic pharmaceutical production, create industrial jobs and build a health system that is less vulnerable to international supply disruptions.
The discussions with India therefore place pharmaceuticals at the intersection of health security, industrialisation, investment and the Accra Reset, making the sector an important area to watch as Ghana and India deepen their bilateral relationship.
