The West Africa Pharma and Healthcare Seminar and conference is underway in Accra.
The conference which is expected to end on April 29, 2022, brought together manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and distributors of the medical diagnostic pharmaceutical industry, hospitals and influential decision-makers in the West African region and in Ghana.
A number of them exhibited their services and products, networked and as all deliberated on ways to address challenges in the pharmaceutical industry.
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It was organised by WegVoraus, India under the auspices of the Ministry of Health Ghana and the Indian High Commission in Ghana.
The Director of Projects & Strategic Management WegVoraus, India, Mr. Thomas James noticed that the pharmaceutical medical and healthcare industry/sector of Ghana in West Africa is valued roughly US$ 2bn and majority of its product requirements are met from imports.
He again observed that the domestic production of the pharmaceuticals is limited in the country with limited players, though many
enterprises are venturing out to start pharmaceutical manufacturing units in the country.
At the same time, he said all the requirements in the medical and diagnostic sectors and hospital equipment are
met mainly through imports as like in the pharmaceutical sector.
He then said the conference will bring forward actionable points and suggestions for improvement in the health sector and healthcare facilities in the country during and after the event.
At the opening ceremony, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) signed an MoU to establish a trade relationship and to promote the Pharmaceuticals industry in Ghana.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AGI, Mr Seth Twum Akwaboah said the MoU will help deepen the relationship between the two Associations in order to grow businesses in both ways.
“Our aim is to help grow the infrastructure and while doing that, we were looking at ways to improve it. We have members who already have machines and some of them want to upscale their businesses but when it expands and you do not have capital to invest in it, it becomes difficult and so if we are able to get the Indians and other organisations to invest in our businesses it will really help,” he said.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori