The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has continued his stakeholder engagements, meeting leaders of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) to discuss challenges facing their respective sectors and explore solutions to boost economic growth.
On Friday, Dr Bawumia visited the PSGH House in Accra, where he held discussions with the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana on measures to strengthen Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry and position the country as West Africa’s leading pharmaceutical production hub.
The consultative meeting provided an opportunity for the association’s leadership to share insights on expanding domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, streamlining regulatory processes, improving support for pharmacists and strengthening public-private partnerships.
The discussions also centred on addressing critical local healthcare needs while creating an enabling environment for pharmaceutical businesses to grow, innovate and contribute more significantly to the national economy.
In a separate engagement on Friday, October 16, 2026, Dr Bawumia met executives and representatives of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) to discuss challenges affecting traders and the wider business community.
In a Facebook post, the former Vice-President said the traders raised concerns about high import duties, rising demurrage charges, limited access to Export-Import (EXIM) Bank loans, high shop rents and goodwill payments.
They also highlighted concerns over the reported increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) for informal sector operators to 20%, as well as the involvement of foreign nationals in aspects of Ghana’s retail trade.
Dr Bawumia described the meeting as productive, noting that GUTA presented proposals aimed at addressing some of the difficulties confronting traders.
A key issue discussed was how Ghana could reduce its dependence on imported goods by encouraging local production.
According to Dr Bawumia, the engagement explored incentives that could motivate businesses to manufacture more goods locally, a move that could create employment opportunities, strengthen domestic enterprises and support economic growth.
The meetings form part of Dr Bawumia’s broader stakeholder consultations, through which he is engaging industry groups and business associations to understand their concerns and gather proposals on policies to address challenges in their sectors.
The engagements also highlight the importance of collaboration between government, industry players and private businesses in building a more competitive and resilient Ghanaian economy.
