National Vaccine Institute and WHO Partner to Strengthen Ghana’s Clinical Trials Ecosystem
ACCRA, Ghana — August 2026
The National Vaccine Institute (NVI), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is advancing a strategic initiative to strengthen Ghana’s clinical trials ecosystem through the pilot implementation of WHO’s draft benchmarking tool for institutional capability for clinical trials.
Supported by the European Union and other partners under the Vax & Pharm – Ghana Project, the initiative represents an important step toward building the institutional, scientific, and operational capacity required to support high-quality clinical trials and advance Ghana’s broader vaccine research, development, and manufacturing agenda.
Clinical trials are an indispensable part of the health-product development pathway, generating the scientific evidence required to establish the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, medicines, and other interventions. For Ghana, developing a strong clinical trials ecosystem is central not only to research excellence, but also to health security, innovation, vaccine self-reliance, and the development of a sustainable domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem.
A Structured Approach to Institutional Capability
The NVI-WHO collaboration centers on piloting the draft WHO benchmarking tool, which provides a structured, evidence-informed framework for clinical research institutions to assess capabilities, identify strengths and gaps, and prioritize areas for institutional development. Rather than measuring the volume of studies undertaken, the tool evaluates enabling systems required for consistently high-quality, ethical, and efficient clinical trials.
The pilot examines institutional capability across seven functional areas:
- Patient and community engagement
- Scientific concepts and research design
- Responsibilities to ethics and regulatory oversight bodies
- Data management, informatics, and statistics
- Clinical trial operations and management
- Leadership, communication, and teamwork
- Institutional infrastructure and systems
These functional areas comprise 32 functional objectives and 112 specific outcomes, enabling institutions to systematically examine the systems supporting clinical research in Ghana.
Implementation and Self-Assessment
As part of the collaboration, NVI and WHO convened participating institutions in Ho, Volta Region, for an interactive training workshop. Institutional teams were introduced to the tool's indicators, trained on the pilot application, and guided in organizing dedicated self-assessment teams.
From August 10–13, 2026, participating institutions conducted a comprehensive self-assessment, reviewing evidence against benchmarking indicators across 14 key research centers and facilities:
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana
- University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC)
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP)
- Revna Bioscience
- University of Cape Coast – Enchi Government Hospital
- Dodowa Health Research Center
- University of Health & Allied Sciences (UHAS), Hohoe
- Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong
- KNUST – Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR)
- KNUST IVI – Agogo
- Kintampo Health Research Centre
- University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale
- Navrongo Health Research Centre
Following the self-assessment, participating institutions reengaged in a focused technical dialogue with NVI and WHO to address challenges in indicator interpretation, evidence collection, and national implementation strategies.
The exercise was not designed to rank institutions, but rather as a continuous quality improvement process. It allows institutions to target practical investments across governance, workforce, research processes, data systems, participant protection, infrastructure, and quality management.
Building a Coordinated National Network
Beyond strengthening individual trial centers, the benchmarking exercise offers a blueprint for a more resilient national clinical research ecosystem. Coordinating bodies can leverage findings to address shared capacity gaps, promote peer learning, align investments with national health priorities, reduce fragmentation, and map institutional strengths for multicentre clinical trials.
Speaking in Ho, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, reaffirmed the government's commitment to clinical trial capacity as part of Africa's broader push for health sovereignty:
"True health sovereignty depends on the less visible groundwork systems, policy, and institutional capacity that precedes actual vaccine production. Clinical trials conducted elsewhere do not always serve African populations well. What we are building here in Ho is part of a shared continental responsibility."
Dr. Ayensu-Danquah also advocated for regional collaboration, proposing a model of African "centers of excellence" where countries specialize in specific capabilities and trade across borders rather than duplicating efforts independently.
Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, framed the project within NVI's phased manufacturing vision:
"We are starting with fill-and-finish as a practical entry point, with the long-term goal of full end-to-end manufacturing. The expertise gathered in this room represents the enormous brain power we need to map our institutional capability gaps and begin closing them."
Dr. Angela Ackon, Technical Officer for Integrated Service Delivery at the WHO Country Office, added:
"This benchmarking exercise gives Ghanaian institutions a structured, evidence-based way to understand their own capabilities and chart a clear path for improvement. WHO is proud to stand with the National Vaccine Institute and the Government of Ghana in this important step towards a stronger, more resilient clinical trials ecosystem."
Global Impact and Next Steps
Ghana is one of eight countries participating in the global pilot phase of the WHO benchmarking tool. The experiences and findings gathered from Ghanaian institutions will play a direct role in refining the tool prior to its global rollout.
Through this partnership, the National Vaccine Institute aims to position Ghana as a trusted, ethical, scientifically rigorous, and internationally competitive destination for high-quality clinical trials.
NVI extends its sincere gratitude to the World Health Organization, the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK Government (through UK NIHR) for their technical and financial support.