I want Ghana to become a pharmaceutical hub in West Africa - Dr. Bawumia to Pharmaceutical Society

The flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has told the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana that he has plans to make Ghana a pharmaceutical hub in the West Africa sub-region come next year.

As part of his engagements with key stakeholders to throw more light on his vision for Ghana, Dr. Bawumia met the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Accra on Monday to throw more light on his vision for the industry, and Ghana.

One of his key visions, Dr Bawumia stated, is to make Ghana a pharmaceutical hub in West Africa due to the comparative advantage such a move offers.

"The gains will be huge for Ghana and we have to do it because we have a comparative advantage," Dr. Bawumia said.

"But first we need to support it with financial resources," added the NPP flagbearer, stressing the need for strong political will and significant funding.

The NPP flagbearer also explained how his proposed tax reforms, including tax amnesty and flat tax rate for businesses, will help the industry.

In his quest to transform the pharmaceutical industry under his government, Dr. Bawumia identified the development of human resources, as one of the key areas he will focus on.

"There are many aspects if we want to be the best and human capital is one. Without that, we cannot be the best so we also have to invest in the training of pharmacists in Ghana," Dr. Bawumia said.

"It should be possible for us to establish a pharmaceutical training centre to focus on training more pharmacists, which will impact positively on our quest to be the best in West Africa."

As part of his government's vision to support the training of pharmacists, Dr. Bawumia said his government will prioritise scholarships for students pursuing pharmacy.

The NPP flagbearer also spoke of the need for a pharmaceutical park in Ghana to boost the industry.

On the operations of pharmacies in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia gave an update on e-pharmacy - the nationwide online platform for pharmacies in Ghana, which he spearheaded its creation.

He said, so far, about 2500 pharmacies have been onboarded on the platform and he assured that the digitalisation of the pharmaceutical industry will be further strengthened under his government.

KOD