Ghana has opened the Legon Pharmaceutical Innovation Park (LePIP) to Expressions of Interest (EOI), inviting pharmaceutical manufacturers and allied life sciences companies to establish operations within what is being positioned as the country’s first integrated pharmaceutical innovation park.

The 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development (24H+) Authority is seeking prospective tenants for the 2,000-acre development located within the Osudoku/Ningo Prampram enclave in the Greater Accra Region.

The EOI process is targeted at companies operating across critical segments of the pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing value chain, including Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) production, generic and essential medicines, vaccines and biologics, nutraceuticals and herbal medicines, diagnostics and medical devices.

The deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest is October 12, 2026, with the project expected to create an industrial ecosystem capable of supporting domestic production while connecting manufacturers to markets in Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

LePIP is being developed in partnership with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), with the project designed around shared infrastructure intended to reduce some of the capital and operational barriers normally faced by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

According to the current EOI notice, the park will provide GMP compliant shared infrastructure, reliable power and water, cold-chain and logistics services, factory shell buildings, centralised quality-control laboratories, effluent treatment facilities and a Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation Centre.

The shared infrastructure model is intended to reduce the amount individual companies would have to spend on critical facilities while also shortening the time required to establish production operations and bring pharmaceutical products to market.

Ghana Seeking to Expand in Domestic Pharmaceutical

The development comes at a time when Ghana is seeking to expand domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce its dependence on imported medicines, APIs and other pharmaceutical inputs.

In August 2026, a report shows that Ghana imported about 70 per cent of its pharmaceutical needs, with the 24H+ Authority identifying the development of a dedicated pharmaceutical industrial ecosystem as part of efforts to strengthen local production.

Kafui Linda Abbah-Foli, Head of Project Development at the 24-Hour Economy programme, previously described the concept by saying: “We are not Just Building a Factory; we are Building an Ecosystem,” highlighting the planned provision of roads, electricity, water, wastewater and specialised effluent treatment infrastructure for pharmaceutical production.’’

The investment proposition extends beyond the manufacture of finished medicines. The park is expected to support activities along the wider pharmaceutical value chain, creating opportunities for companies involved in APIs, biotechnology, vaccines, biologics, herbal medicines, diagnostics and medical technologies.

The emphasis on APIs is particularly significant because local pharmaceutical companies depend on imported active ingredients and other inputs. Developing domestic capacity in this area could deepen local value addition and create stronger linkages between research, raw-material development, manufacturing and distribution.

Earlier government planning documents identified pharmaceuticals as one of the strategic manufacturing value chains under the MAKE24 component of the 24H+ programme.

Those plans envisage Ghana developing stronger pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to serve both the domestic market and regional markets, with emphasis on essential medicines, vaccine production, diagnostics and technology transfer.

The wider policy framework also identifies pharmaceutical manufacturing as an area with potential for job creation, foreign exchange savings, investment mobilisation and export development.

For investors, the location of LePIP within the Greater Accra industrial corridor also provides potential access to Ghana’s major commercial, logistics and healthcare markets.

Its planned cold-chain and logistics facilities are particularly relevant to products such as vaccines, biologics and other temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products.

Strengthening Collaboration Between Industry Stakeholders

The project is also expected to strengthen collaboration between industry, research institutions and innovation-focused enterprises. Government planning documents have previously linked LePIP to pharmaceutical research, API production, contract manufacturing and innovation, with the broader objective of connecting industrial activity to Ghana’s scientific and academic capabilities.

Ms Abbah-Foli has previously said the park is intended to address structural constraints that have made pharmaceutical manufacturing more difficult, particularly access to land and specialised infrastructure.

She noted that the country’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical products also leaves the economy exposed to international supply-chain disruptions.

“The Goal is to Ensure that we Build a Park that will Cater for the Whole Value Chain,” she said, arguing that greater domestic manufacturing capacity would strengthen Ghana’s ability to respond to future health emergencies.

The investment drive is therefore being framed not only as an industrial development initiative but also as part of Ghana’s broader health-security strategy.

The park could support domestic production of essential medicines and health products while creating opportunities for technology transfer, research and development, skilled employment and collaboration between Ghanaian firms and international pharmaceutical companies.

A Broader Healthcare Industry

The 24H+ Authority has already indicated that its broader healthcare-industry ambition goes beyond pharmaceutical production to include medical equipment, health technologies, research and innovation.

In a recent communication, the Authority said Ghana’s healthcare industry has an opportunity to become a productive sector capable of manufacturing medical equipment, producing pharmaceuticals, developing technology and commercialising research for Ghana and wider African markets.

The EOI therefore provides an opportunity for established manufacturers, emerging life-sciences companies and international investors to assess participation in an integrated pharmaceutical production ecosystem.

Interested companies are expected to express their interest before the October 12 deadline, as the government advances preparations to transform LePIP from a planned industrial development into a platform for pharmaceutical manufacturing, innovation, investment and regional exports.

If successfully developed, the park would place pharmaceutical production within the wider industrialisation strategy of the 24H+ programme, with its focus on increasing domestic production, strengthening value chains and expanding Ghana’s capacity to serve regional and continental markets.