The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approved 20,205 product applications out of a total of 24,446 product applications last year. 

The difference between the number of applications processed and those approved was due to applications that did not meet the required standards or needed additional information before further action could be taken.

Presenting a performance report at the FDA’s 2025 Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting in Accra last Tuesday, the Head of Quality Management Systems at FDA, Joseph Ofosu Siaw, said applications received last year exceeded the annual target by about three per cent, while applications processed represented approximately 96.2 per cent of the target.

The programme was on the theme: “Regulatory excellence through innovation, collaboration and sustained growth”.

Mr Siaw indicated that as part of its regulatory mandate, the FDA conducted 15,457 Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and facility inspections in the same year; while it also carried out inspections of consignments at the country’s ports and airports to ensure compliance.

Giving a breakdown of product registration, the Head of Quality Management Systems said 62 per cent of regulated products registered in 2025 were locally manufactured, while 38 per cent were foreign.

He explained that the increase in the share of locally manufactured products was part of a deliberate management decision aimed at supporting Ghanaian businesses and encouraging the consumption of locally produced goods.

At the meeting, the guest of honour and Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Desmond Boateng, said maintaining public confidence was a critical responsibility of the FDA.

He stressed that Ghanaians expected the food, medicines, cosmetics and other regulated products they consumed to be safe, while industry requires clear and predictable regulatory processes.

Citing examples from the United States (US) FDA’s Project Orbis, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority, and food safety practices in the UK and New Zealand, he said innovation and collaboration were key to modern regulation.

Mr Boateng added that for Ghana, it meant embracing digitalisation, data-driven regulation, modern laboratories and risk-based approaches to make regulation faster, smarter and more responsive without compromising safety.

He emphasised that innovation must match with collaboration. He called for stronger partnerships between the FDA, industry, academia, development partners, government institutions, civil society and consumers, noting that public health systems were strongest when all stakeholders understood their roles.

He gave an assurance of the Ministry of Health’s commitment to supporting the FDA to build a responsive, future-ready institution that protects public health and enables Ghana’s pharmaceutical, food and manufacturing sectors to grow and compete.

For his part, the CEO of FDA, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, said FDA was implementing major reforms to deliver faster regulatory decisions and build a more responsive system.

He outlined several key initiatives, including digitalisation through G-FIRMS and other software systems, the establishment of a ticketing-based Client Service Centre, and the opening of four new regional and 60 district offices by the end of the year.

Other measures include maintaining the World Health Organisation (WHO) Maturity Level Three (ML3) status while pursuing ML4, providing 24-hour services for critical functions, enhancing food safety surveillance, and partnering with Germany and the European Union to establish a new vaccines laboratory.
 

Prof. Opuni also cited staff welfare improvements, capacity building, and ongoing engagement with industry bodies such as the Association of Ghana Industries and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana.