Director-General for Ghana Standards Board(GSB) and a Clinical Pharmacologist, Professor Alex Dodoo, has intimated that the outlook for the vaccine production in the country is good. He stated that this is due to the good investment climate the country is currently experiencing.
According to Professor Dodoo, despite the good outlook,;what is needed is for Ghanaian business men to position themselves to attract all investments to move our country forward because “the target must be and is that Ghana should be the vaccine production hub for the continent”.
“The outlook is very good but it is very good not just at the outlook of the scientist; [but] because the investment climate is also good. The ease of doing this business is good and indeed companies are trooping in”.
Professor Alex Dodoo
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Professor Dodoo averred that the nation is currently making strides with the vaccines production but urged for stakeholders and citizens to be aggressive in bringing the project to fruition. On the sideline, he revealed that they have already put together factors in producing anti snake venom in the country as part of efforts to produce vaccines in the country.
“Ghanaians, when it comes to money, we are shy but you know what, a rich country is a country with money in the hands of businesses and individuals where salary levels are high and where taxes are paid. Now to do that, you have to put money in people’s pockets and government can only do that through the private sectors.
“I will appeal to Ghanaians that regardless of what you feel, we have a window opened for business to thrive in Ghana. And we are begging all Ghanaians that if you have investments, talk to your colleagues oversees because it will be a shame when all this hard work is done, all those monies will not be owned by Ghanaians. It will be painful”.
Professor Alex Dodoo
GSA and FDA to ensure standards are met
Touching on the standardization of these vaccines, he averred that vaccines are global goods and have one standard and the Ghana Standards Authority and the Foods and Drugs Authority are also ensuring it’s applying the best international standards.
“Our food and drugs authority has been rated as one of the best on the continent by any assessment in several areas as comparable to any regulatory areas as compared to anywhere in the world. [The international standard] is being applied very well. It is important for Ghanaians to realize that;several young men and women spend the whole day shadowing the development in the interest of Ghana because that is what we are paid to do”.
Professor Alex Dodoo
Professor Dodoo also disclosed that progress of the COVID-19 vaccine production in Ghana will be communicated in due time and further commended the President for the efforts he has put in to seeing this dream of vaccine production become a reality.
According to Professor Dodoo,;financially, during the COVID,;countries like USA and the UK planned ahead of the vaccine production in terms of logistics;amongst others and succeeded but Ghana could not do so because of financial constraint.
“However, we have also learnt that in the post COVID world, you have to be practical; you have to be realistic about your industry because there has to be failures about 95 percent; but the 5 percent success transforms countries.”
Professor Alex Dodoo
