Accra, Ghana – August 26, 2026 – In a landmark achievement for the country’s health and scientific sector, Ghana has been selected as one of only eight countries globally to pilot the World Health Organization’s (WHO) draft benchmarking tool for institutional capability in clinical trials.

The initiative, spearheaded by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and supported by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK Government, positions Ghana not just as a participant in global health research, but as a key architect of the very standards that will govern it.

A press statement issued by the NVI explained that, unlike traditional assessments that simply measure the number of studies undertaken, the new WHO tool, which has completed testing and validation in Ghana, provides a structured, evidence-informed approach to evaluate the enabling systems required for consistently high-quality, ethical, and efficient clinical trials.

The framework examines institutional capability across seven functional areas, including patient engagement, scientific research design, regulatory oversight, data management, trial operations, leadership, and infrastructure, encompassing a total of 32 functional objectives and 112 specific outcomes.

Testing and Validation

As part of the pilot phase, the NVI and WHO recently convened a training workshop in Ho, Volta Region, where institutional teams were introduced to the tool and supported in organizing teams for self-assessment. Following this, a comprehensive self-assessment exercise was conducted from August 10 to 13, 2026, across 13 key Ghanaian institutions.

The participating institutions are: the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana; University of Ghana Medical Center; 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, 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, Tamale; and Navrongo Health Research Centre.

Emphasizing that the exercise is strictly for capacity development and continuous improvement rather than institutional ranking, NVI Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, pointed out that the initiative is a critical component of Ghana’s long-term vaccine manufacturing roadmap.

“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. Sodzi-Tettey stated.

Important Step for Ghana’s Health Sovereignty

The initiative represents a major leap forward for Ghana’s health sovereignty agenda. Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, who attended the Ho workshop, stressed that clinical trials conducted elsewhere do not always serve African populations well.

“True health sovereignty depends on the less visible groundwork—systems, policy, and institutional capacity—that precedes actual vaccine production,” Dr. Ayensu-Danquah said.

She added that a proposal for regional collaboration where African countries specialize in specific products and capabilities, trading with one another as “centers of excellence” rather than attempting to produce everything independently.

WHO Technical Officer for Integrated Service Delivery, Dr. Angela Ackon, reaffirmed the global body’s support for the initiative.

“This benchmarking exercise gives Ghanaian institutions a structured, evidence-based way to understand their own capabilities and chart a clear path for improvement,” Dr. Ackon noted. “WHO is proud to stand with the National Vaccine Institute and the Government of Ghana in this important step.”

By participating in this elite global pilot, Ghana will directly influence the finalization of the WHO tool for global adoption.

The findings from the 13 local institutions will be used to identify common capacity gaps, align investments with national priorities, and position Ghana as a trusted, scientifically rigorous, and internationally competitive destination for high-quality clinical trials in Africa and beyond.

The August 26, 2026, front pages of Ghanaian newspapers highlight the upcoming NPP internal elections and the disputed financial loss scandal concerning the GoldBod.

🗳️ NPP Internal Elections & Party Politics

• The Chronicle: “Afoko: I’ll Work With Bawumia … To Win 2028”
• The Custodian & The NewsCentra: “Afoko Files For NPP Chairmanship” / “Afoko files, pledges inclusive leadership”
• Daily Guide: “Assuah Backs Boakye Agyarko For NPP National Chairman” and “Let’s Give Bawumia United Party To Win 2028 Election – Afoko”
• The Ghanaian Publisher: “Agyarko Files For NPP Chair”
• Republic Press, The National Voice, & The Daily Banner: “Wontumi Quits NPP Chairmanship Race” / “Wontumi Withdraws From NPP National Chairmanship Race”
• The Source: “NPP Organiser Race: Titus-Glover Files, Accra Chairmen Back Him”
• The Voiceless: “Musah Superior Writes; Who Really Led The NPP To Victory In 2016?” (A defense of John Boadu’s role over Paul Afoko’s).

💰 The GoldBod & GH¢22bn ($1.7bn) Loss Saga

• The Custodian, Daily Guide, & Supreme Newspaper: “NPP Demands Full Account of $1.7 Billion GoldBod, BoG Losses”
• The Daily Gist & Republic Press: “GoldBod Is Broke After BoG Exit” / “Probe GoldBod $1.7bn Losses – CPS Demands”
• The Daily Gist & The Custodian: “Afenyo-Markin Sues Sammy Gyamfi” / “Osahen Drags Sammy Gyamfi, Others To Court For Character Assassination”
• The Informer: “Afenyo-Markin Dares Accusers”
• The Inquisitor: “BANKS LINE UP FOR GOLDBOD” (Financing Gold Purchase)
• The Metro Lens: “GOLDBOD Bans Doré Exports”
• The New Crusading Guide: “GoldBod Orders Self-Financing Aggregators: Refine Gold Doré Here Or Don’t Export”
• The Daily Searchlight: “BoG/GOLDBOD $1.7B LOSS – WE WILL NOT STOP SPEAKING! – NPP”
• The Meridian: “NPP Chases Goldbod Over $1.7bn Black Hole”
• The NewsCentra, Daily Banner, & The National Voice: “Parliament to probe GH¢22bn gold ‘loss’ – Bagbin”

⚖️ Legal, Parliament & Security

• Daily Guide & Republic Press: “Zenator Rawlings, Ayariga Face MPs Grilling” / “No Break For Adu Boahene! …As Judge Rejects Akyea’s Plea”
• The Accra Times & The Source: “NATIONAL SECURITY BOSS Calls For Tougher, Neutral Enforcement” / “National Security 1 Step Ahead”
• The New Crusading Guide: “VIGILANTE GROUPS CHANGE TACTICS… Rebranding, Now Use Encrypted Social Media Networks – National Security Warns”
• The Informer: “IMF Warns Ghana Against Complacency”

🛡️ Religious & Social Issues

• The Daily Statesman, The Meridian, The Source, The National Voice, & The Daily Banner: “LET’S STOP WEAPONISING RELIGION FOR POLITICAL GAIN” / “Political Abuse Threatens Ghana’s Religious Peace – Hamid”
• The Accra Times: “Bulisa North MCE Condemns Alleged Military Brutality” and “New UniMAC SRC Boss Pledges Accountable And Inclusive Leadership”
• Supreme Newspaper: “Adoteiman Chief Alleges Brutal Assault”

🏥 Health, Environment & Economy

• Daily Graphic: “Stroke rises among men aged 30-49 – Health expert”
• The Ghanaian Times: “Nation’s road deaths hit 35-year high” (2,949 killed on roads in 2025) and “7 arrested in Ashanti narcotics crackdown”
• Business & Financial Times (B&FT): “GNPC on track for Q4 drilling in Voltaian Basin” and “IMF debt assessments failed to fully capture mounting crisis”
• The Informer: “Tackle Galamsey; Don’t Over Celebrate GoldBod Gains”
• The Daily Statesman: “CADEG welcomes GAC entry into Ghana’s automotive market”

⛏️ Corporate & Mining

• The Chronicle & The NewsCentra: “Goldfields Seeks Fair Treatment From Ghana” / “Gold Fields Pleads Fairness” (regarding the Tarkwa Lease renewal)
• The Inquisitor: “Mahama Calls For Stronger Health Regulation To Protect Patients Across Africa”

The government has launched a major military-led operation to reclaim the Lafa water retention basin at Mallam, deploying the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces in a high-stakes effort to break the cycle of perennial flooding that has devastated communities in Mallam, Weija, Blue Lagoon, Dansoman and surrounding areas for years.

The intervention, which involves breaking up tonnes of compacted solid waste and dredging heavily silted sediment from the basin, comes nearly two months after torrential rains on June 29 triggered catastrophic flooding across the Greater Accra Region.

The exercise is being coordinated by the Post-Flood Mitigation Task Force, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Mr Stan Xoese Dogbe.

“We are dealing with decades of deliberate dumping,” said Ing. Richard Kofi Amekor, Head of Drainage at the Ghana Hydrological Authority. “Solid waste, boulders and laterite have been tipped into this basin for years. The reservoir is so heavily silted that rainwater could not flow into it naturally, causing backflow that swamped Blue Lagoon, the Mallam-Gbawe corridor and parts of Dansoman.”

According to Ing. Amekor, the Lafa stream originates from Mallam-Gbawe Zero and passes through Santa Maria, Atieku, Pallas Town, Alhaji Tabora and McCarthy Hill before draining into the basin and eventually into the sea. But the obstruction of the basin turned the watercourse into a death trap during the June downpour.

The military engineers face an arduous task. Brigadier General Richard Kinney, Commander of the 14 Engineer Brigade, revealed that the waste had been capped with laterite over the years to create land for illegal sale and development, making excavation particularly difficult.

“Our immediate task is to loosen the compacted material before removal. To minimise traffic disruptions, all haulage of excavated debris will be undertaken at night to the designated landfill site at Nsawam,” Brig. Gen. Kinney stated. He added that the entire dredging and evacuation exercise is expected to take several months.

Beyond the dredging, officials are calling for a more permanent solution: the demolition of all illegal structures erected within the water retention area. Ing. Amekor noted that buildings constructed inside the basin have substantially reduced its storage capacity.

“Once the illegal structures are removed, the Hydrological Authority will work with the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly to secure the banks and ensure continuous monitoring,” he said, warning that restoration of the basin will significantly reduce flooding impacts, though it may not eliminate flooding entirely due to the area’s topography and upstream runoff.

Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces and Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Works, confirmed that the Mallam operation is part of a wider, nationwide offensive. Similar dredging works are ongoing at Oyarifa, East Legon and the Kpeshie Lagoon, while work will begin next week around the Kpeshie-Laboma Beach enclave to reopen the channel linking the lagoon to the sea.

“Government has fulfilled its commitment by providing funding and equipment for this exercise, but we appeal to the private sector to support this nationwide initiative,” Brig. Gen. Okae-Yeboah said.

He stressed that military action alone would not solve Ghana’s flooding crisis without sustained public cooperation.

“Residents must stop dumping refuse into the basin and encroachers must vacate immediately. Only by protecting our waterways can we protect lives and property,” he admonished.