The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) has lauded the harmonisation of the processes of the Food and Drugs Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority.

It said the removal of the bottlenecks that increased cost and time of doing business, especially due to duplication of processes in the registration and certification of products was a welcome news.

Upon establishment of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) the continuous stringent requirements to certify FDA regulated products, Food, Drugs, Cosmetics, Household Chemicals, Herbal Medicinal products and Medical devices by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) led to duplication of some of the processes involved in FDA's regulatory approval of products .

"This led to delays in acquiring regulatory and certifications for products and an increased regulatory cost which made cost and ease of doing business in Ghana not as competitive as desired," the statement signed by Lucia Addae, Executive Secretary said.

"We applaud the Government, Ministries of Trade and Health, The CEOs of FDA, Mrs Delese Mimi Darko and GSA, Prof Alex Dodoo for removing these bottlenecks effective 1st October 2020," it added.

The statement said as the two regulatory bodies mandated to protect health, safety, setting standards and facilitating trade " we as Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturers with the goal of producing to meet the needs of the local and African market are appreciative of the benefit this will bring to our members."

The GSA certification mark, FDA number and Made in Ghana logo will go a long way to enhance standardisation and trade within the continent for our members.

The Association encouraged government to partner industry to remove such regulatory and policy bottlenecks in trade without compromising on quality and standards .

The Association expressed the hope that the two institutions with their high global and continental pedigree globally will continue to support manufacturers to project the quality made in Ghana Pharmaceutical products within and outside the country.

"We look forward to further engagements and collaboration on the implementation so that we can promote and protect the pharmaceutical industry," the statement added.