THE Honorary Consul of Indonesia to Ghana, Mr Paskal A.B. Rois, on Tuesday paid a working visit to the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) in Accra, where he held discussions with the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey.
The visit formed part of ongoing efforts to deepen Ghana– Indonesia relations in the health sector, particularly in vaccine research, development, and local production.
During the meeting, deliberations centered on the establishment of a vaccine production hub in Ghana, leveraging Indonesia’s global track record in vaccine manufacturing.
Mr Rois underscored Indonesia’s expertise through Bio Farma, the state-owned pharmaceutical giant, which produces more than 2.3 billion doses of vaccines annually and supplies to over 150 countries under World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF certifications.
He explained that such collaboration would not only help reduce Africa’s heavy reliance on imported vaccines but also position Ghana as a vaccine manufacturing leader in the sub-region.
Mr Rois further noted that Indonesia Aid was ready to support technical assistance programs while Indonesian government scholarships had already benefitted Ghanaian students, with seven selected this year for studies in various academic fields.
He also revealed that discussions were ongoing with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health to facilitate the supply of Monkey pox test kits to Ghana, reinforcing both nations’ commitment to health security.
Mr Rois proposed stronger institutional cooperation between Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control to ensure regulatory harmonisation in vaccine development and clinical trials.
For his part, Dr Sodzi-Tettey welcomed the initiative and assured Mr Rois of the Institute’s readiness to collaborate.
He emphasised that government support and regulatory oversight by the FDA would be crucial to the success of such an ambitious project.
He further mentioned existing engagements between the National Vaccine Institute, Atlantic Life Sciences, and Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research as important building blocks for Ghana’s vaccine self-sufficiency agenda.
Touching on human resource development, Dr Sodzi-Tettey recommended that Ghana’s Ministry of Health and Indonesia formalise training opportunities through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This, he explained, would create a structured framework for Ghanaian health professionals to access specialised training programs in Indonesia with clear guidelines on participation and knowledge transfer.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL