The Government of Ghana has formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to join the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM).

In the historic development that transforms a presidential directive into a tangible economic and health-security victory, the agreement instantly expands the addressable market for Ghanaian pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers from a domestic base of 33 million people to over 1.4 billion consumers across the African continent.

The landmark agreement, inked on August 21, 2026, in Accra, delivers squarely on the directive issued by President John Mahama during the Ghana Vaccines Manufacturing Investment Forum held in August 2025.

At that forum, the President explicitly ordered reforms to prioritize locally produced vaccines and pharmaceuticals in public procurement and made a firm pledge to secure regional market access for Ghanaian producers—a promise now given practical effect through the leadership of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI).

Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister for Health, who represented Ghana at the signing alongside Africa CDC Director-General H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, underscored the political weight of the occasion.

“This MoU gives practical effect to the commitment of H. E. President John Dramani Mahama at the Ghana Vaccines Manufacturing Investment Forum held in Accra in August 2025,” said Minister Akandoh.

A Continental Framework with Deep Legal Roots

A press release issued by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) explained further that the APPM was not a fledgling initiative but a mature, continental market-shaping and pooled procurement mechanism firmly grounded in African Union law.

The APPM was established under African Union Assembly Decisions, which urges all Member States to join. By signing on, Ghana positions itself at the heart of the continent’s new health security architecture.

Transformative Implications for Ghanaian Industry

For Ghanaian manufacturers, the implications are nothing short of transformative:

• Unprecedented Market Access: Both established pharmaceutical firms and upcoming players within the Government’s planned Ghana Pharmaceutical Hub now have a structured pathway to supply quality-assured health products, vaccines, and medical equipment to all 55 AU Member States through Africa CDC’s demand aggregation.
• Sustainable and Predictable Demand: By solving the critical challenge of a small domestic market, the APPM ensures the long-term viability of local manufacturing investments, creating expanded, predictable demand for African-made products.
• Strengthened Health Security: The mechanism will improve access to affordable, quality-assured products while bolstering supply security, collective purchasing power, and intra-African trade—aligning perfectly with Africa CDC’s Strategic Plan (2023-2027) and the African Health Security and Sovereignty (AHSS) Framework.

Ghana’s Regulatory Sovereignty Preserved

Crucially, the MoU safeguards national regulatory authority. All procurement under the APPM remains subject to the exclusive regulatory oversight of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for marketing authorization, import control, batch release, and post-market surveillance. The Ghana FDA is well-respected across the continent as a WHO Maturity Level 3 Regulator for Medicines, ensuring that the highest standards of quality and safety will govern all products supplied under the mechanism.

NVI at the Forefront of Execution

Commenting on the signing, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, described the moment as a defining inflection point for both the institution and the nation.

“This is a defining moment for Ghana and for the NVI,” said Dr. Sodzi-Tettey. “For years, our local manufacturers have been constrained by a market of 33 million. With APPM, we now have access to a market of 1.4 billion Africans. This MoU delivers on President Mahama’s vision for Ghana to become a regional hub for vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It guarantees that when we manufacture Tetanus Diphtheria vaccines and Anti-tetanus Serum in 2026, and other essential products including Snake Venom anti-Serum which we have already manufactured in 2025, we have a continental market ready to buy. The NVI is fully committed to working with Africa CDC to make the Accra Regional Meeting in November a success with practical implications.”

Next Steps: Operationalization in Accra

In line with the MoU, the NVI and Africa CDC will jointly operationalize Ghana’s participation during the upcoming Regional Meeting on the APPM, scheduled to be hosted in Accra in November 2026. The meeting will bring together political leadership, policymakers, regulators, manufacturers, and procurement agencies to agree on the APPM Supply Catalogue, technical specifications, and detailed implementation arrangements.

The National Vaccine Institute said in the press statement that it looks forward to working with all stakeholders to realize Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sovereignty.

The National Vaccine Institute, established by Act 1056 of 2023, is mandated to coordinate, supervise, and facilitate local manufacturing of vaccines and sera in Ghana.

Here are the top headlines from newspaper front pages for Monday, September 7, 2026.

DAILY GRAPHIC

• Main Headline: Don’t admit outside CSSPS – Minister directs SHS heads
• Side Headline: 1 in 5 Ghanaians battles elevated blood pressure – MoH rallies support to curb rising NCD burden
• Other: Equips young people at Senior Correctional Centre (Page 13)

DAILY GUIDE

• Main Headline: Parliament Backs OSP Probe Into ‘Fake’ GH¢70k Memo
• Side Headlines:
• NFS Goes Digital, Introduces Automated Fire Compliance System
• Influencer Dies After Penile Enlargement Procedure (Page 3)
• NPP Clears 47 For National Positions, Balloting Sept. 9 (Page 3)
• Mother, Son Arrested For Possessing Narcotics (Page 3)

THE CHRONICLE

• Main Headline: Agyarko Plots NPP’s Return To Power
• Side Headline: Akatsi North & South Sit On A Time Bomb – As Dispute Over ‘Avega’ Escalates
• Other: Unity Key To NPP’s 2028 Comeback – Asanteman COKA (from another image)

THE PUBLISHER

• Main Headline: Chief Justice Under Fire – ‘Optics’ of SOE Visits Spark Judicial Independence Fears
• Side Headlines:
• 47 Cleared! NPP’s National Leadership Race Kicks Off
• Classroom Crisis: English Hits 4-Year Low, WAEC Cancels 8,295 Results
• Heartbreak Detector: Ghana Launches App To Check If Your Partner Is Already Taken
• Gov’t Completes Evacuation of Citizens From South Africa

GHANAIAN TIMES

• Main Headline: Let’s protect country’s peace – Gonja Overlord urges Ghanaians (Page 12)
• Side Headlines:
• Ghana National Fire Service goes digital (Page 6)
• Minister puts contractors on notice over abandoned projects (Page 11)
• Women urged to acquire financial literacy, digital skills

THE CUSTODIAN

• Main Headline: Mahama Boots Out Ashie-Moore Over Governance Issues at Sankofa Gold Ltd.
• Side Headlines: Bawumia to Unveil New Cocoa Policy Soon – Annoh-Dompreh Hints
• Agyarko Promises to Empower NPP Executives For 2028 Victory

THE CANARY

• Main Headline: Over Clash With MD On Cars, Hotel Bills
• Side Headlines:
• Eric Opoku Eulogises First Agric Minister Under Fourth Republic (Page 2)
• Ato Forson Starts Groundwork For Mahama’s $10bn New Economy (Page 3)
• Dwumfour Challenges Virtue School To Prepare Students For Digital Economy
• Ashanti Region NPP Organises Thanksgiving Service After Successful Executive Elections (Page 2)

THE HERALD

• Headlines:
• Brekuohene Raises Alarm Over Adeiso Farm Destruction
• NPP Race: Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh Endorses Nana B For 1st Vice Chairman Position
• Global Recognition: Dr. Sylvester Nyamekye Wins 2025 Best Paper Award

THE INSIDER

• Headlines:
• Bawumia To Outline Major Cocoa Policy – Annoh-Dompreh (Page 2)
• Unity Key To NPP’s 2028 Comeback – Asanteman COKA (Page 3)
• Dwumfour Calls For AI-Focused Education

THE NEW INDEPENDENT

• Headlines:
• Adomako Baafi: Nana B Is Best For NPP 1st Vice-Chair Job (Page 4)
• NPP Accepts All 47 Contenders For National Positions
• NDC’s Ashie Moore “Caused” Sankofa Gold Board Dissolution
• Annoh-Dompreh: Bawumia Has New Plan For Cocoa Farmers
• APD2027 Launched, Fixed For 27-29 January 2027

DAILY POST

• Headlines:
• Ayarko Targets Greater Accra For NPP’s 2028 Victory (Page 3)
• Galamsey Pits Swallow 38 – Armah Buah On Boasting Spree
• Task Force Failing (Page 3)
• Ayensuano MP Scouts For Football Players From Constituency (Page 9)
• Akufo-Addo Appointees Chase Ato Forson For Ex-Gratia (Page 2)
• Pastoral Message To Mahama: Ghana Is On Wrong Direction (Page 2)

THE NEW CRUSADING GUIDE

• Headlines:
• Accra Int’l Airport VIP Lounge to be completed by end of 2026 – Ablakwa
• Teshie climaxes Peaceful Homowo Celebration – With the traditional “Tsese-Bumo” rites
• Chief Justice should stop commenting on some political issues – Domelevo
• Atewa Forest: Forestry Commission arrests 12 illegal miners

B&FT

• Is COCOBOD All Set For Market Return…clears 2026 DDEP obligations
  • Other Headlines: No public funds for parties’ routine activities — IEA. See page 2
  • NIA has not introduced new Ghana Card fees — NIA. See page 5

GRAPHIC SPORTS

• Main Headline: Queiroz must deliver! – No more excuses for AFCON qualifying campaign – Leads Ghana’s AFCON failure, warns Afriyie
• Side Headlines:
• Dogboe walks away from boxing – Passes torch to next warriors (Back Page)
• Jordan Ayew – Currently unattached, Jordan close to Blackburn move (Page 7)

GRAPHIC BUSINESS

• Main Headline: 3 Entities, half the workforce – COCOBOD, GPHA, and ECG alone account for more than half of entire SOE workforce
• Side Headlines:
• Domestic costs push inflation to 5.0% (Page 2)
• Tennis: Ghana’s $5.5m golden ticket to economic revival (Back Page)

NATIONAL SECURITY / DRUGS STORY (Unclear publication)

• Headline: National Security Arrest Man and Wife for Drugs – Joint team arrests 51-year-old at Weija for cannabis and tramadol; firearm and ammunition also recovered

Summary of Dominant Themes Today (Sept. 7, 2026):

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted to endorse a new world map that more accurately depicts Africa’s true size, marking the culmination of a Togo-led campaign that reframes cartography as a vital instrument of cognitive justice and historical reparation.

The “Correct the Map” resolution was adopted on Friday by a landslide vote of 164 in favor, with only the United States opposing and six nations—Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine—abstaining.

The resolution encourages governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to move away from the 16th-century Mercator projection in favor of the Equal Earth projection, which preserves the relative surface area of continents. While the measure is not legally binding and does not ban the Mercator projection—which remains suited for maritime and aerial navigation—its passage represents a monumental diplomatic victory for the African Union and its Global South partners.

“A fair map does not change the geography of the world, it changes how we see the world”

Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who spearheaded the initiative on behalf of the African Group, framed the vote as a fundamental challenge to the perceived realities of the modern world. “Maps shape our understanding of the world,” Dussey told the General Assembly. “They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions” . He emphasized that the initiative transcends mere geography, linking the distortions to a broader struggle for “cognitive justice, with access to precise geographical knowledge, the dignity of peoples, historic memory”.

Since 1569, the Mercator projection, designed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation, has systematically enlarged landmasses closer to the poles while shrinking those near the equator . Consequently, Africa appears visually comparable in size to Greenland, despite being approximately 14 times larger in reality . This visual distortion, the resolution argues, has contributed to the “symbolic minimization” of Africa and perpetuated a skewed global view that undermines the continent’s political and economic weight.

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Washington’s Isolation and France’s Pivot

The United States cast the sole vote against the resolution, dismissing the initiative as a “radical ideological project” and labeling such debates a “barnacle” on the UN’s credibility. Ambassador Mike Waltz argued the resolution promoted an agenda related to “reparations and cognitive justice” that distracts from core challenges to international peace.

In stark contrast, France emerged as a leading co-sponsor. Hours before the vote, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Paris would abandon the Mercator projection for its own maps of the world.

“The United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,” Barrot stated, adding that “distortions eventually take root in perceptions”.

A Historic Step for the African Union

The African Union welcomed the adoption as a “historic step toward accurate and equitable global cartographic representation”. AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf congratulated Togo and President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé for championing the initiative, stating that “Africa must be represented as it truly is: in its true dimensions and in its rightful place in the world”.

Moky Makura, executive director of advocacy group Africa No Filter, which has been involved in the “Correct the World” map campaign, hailed the vote. “Africa doesn’t need to be made bigger. It needs to be seen accurately,” Makura said in a statement.

Looking Ahead to Implementation

The resolution now urges tech platforms like Google Maps to adopt more accurate projections for public-facing depictions of the world . Dussey announced that Togo will be the first country to change its school geography materials by the end of the year, setting an example for the rest of the world . He stressed that the campaign is not an attack on Europe or other civilizations, but a necessary step to confront the legacies of colonization. “The world is changing. Africa also is changing,” Dussey stated.