For the past few months, the National Vaccine Institute in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, Ghana and the European Union in Ghana, has been leading work to strengthen Ghana’s Clinical Trial Ecosystem.
NVI truly believes that Clinical trials are not simply a scientific exercise to test new medical treatments, drugs, devices, or procedures to see if they are safe and work well.
They are a national strategic asset.
They are how we generate the evidence that saves lives, protects communities, and also positions Ghana as a serious player in global health research.
Foundation: Workshop
Earlier this year, the NVI in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation, convened a landmark three-day Clinical Trials Ecosystem Assessment Workshop.
Held from the 30th of March to the April 1, 2026 in Sogakope, the Volta Region of Ghana, This gathering brought together regulators, ethics review committees, research institutions, academia, government ministries, and development partners all under one roof, with one shared purpose.
The workshop undertook a structured, evidence-based assessment of Ghana's clinical trials landscape.
Participants reviewed our regulatory foundations, our institutional capacities, and our ethics oversight systems. We identified what Ghana does well and we were candid about where the gaps lie.
The discussions were rich and honest.
We acknowledged that while Ghana has a strong regulatory framework and experienced research institutions, our ecosystem remains fragmented.
Research activity is heavily concentrated in infectious diseases and in a limited number of institutions. Our capacity for early-phase clinical trials is limited.
And we remain overly dependent on externally driven research agendas.
But from that candour came consensus and from consensus came action.
Following the workshop, we did not allow momentum to stall.
The NVI team and the national steering committee moved swiftly to validate the findings and recommendations.
I am pleased to report that the Steering Committee has now completed its validation of the workshop outcomes.
This is a critical governance milestone; it means that the direction we are heading has the full endorsement of our highest oversight body.
is not a bureaucratic formality. Steering Committee validation ensures that our national assessment of clinical trials will proceed with authority, credibility, and institutional backing.
It signals to our partners, local and international, that Ghana is serious about this agenda.
Mapping site
With that mandate in hand, our team has also completed the mapping of fifteen (15) selected clinical trial sites and institutions across the country.
This mapping exercise was essential groundwork; it tells us who is doing what, where, and with what capacity.
It gives us a baseline from which to measure, to compare, and to build.
These fifteen sites represent a cross-section of Ghana's research infrastructure; from teaching hospitals to public health institutes to specialised research centres. Understanding their current state is indispensable to knowing what support, what training, and what resources will be needed.
Assessment: Planning
We are now finalising the plan for the national assessment of clinical trials; what we refer to as the offtake plan.
This will determine how we roll out the WHO-aligned benchmarking tool, who leads the field assessments, and how we sequence the evaluations across the selected institutions.
This assessment tool evaluates clinical trial sites across multiple dimensions: governance structures, infrastructure, human resource capacity, data management systems, and ethics compliance.
It is not designed to rank or penalise. It is designed to diagnose and to develop.
Our target is clear: the national clinical trials ecosystem assessment will be completed by September 2026.
Road ahead
What the NVI is doing on clinical trials is about more than assessments and tools.
It is about building a Ghana that can lead, not just participate in the generation of health evidence for Africa and for the world.
We recognise that progress requires sustained commitment from government, from research institutions, from the private sector, and from our international partners.
The review of the Ghana Public Health Act presents a timely opportunity to institutionalise the reforms we are pursuing.
The active role Ghana plays in the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum, AVAREF, provides a regional platform to translate our national progress into continental impact.
The NVI is committed to ensuring that by the time our assessment is complete, we do not simply have a report.
We will have a roadmap with clear priorities, clear responsibilities, and a clear timeline for action.
Ghana's clinical trials ecosystem is being strengthened; deliberately, systematically, and with the full weight of national and international collaboration.
The writer is Chief Executive Officer,
National Vaccine Institute.
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