The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana has warned that the nation’s local drug industry is at risk of collapsing if illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, is not urgently addressed.
The Society explained that galamsey operations are polluting water sources and contaminating plants that provide essential raw materials for domestic pharmaceutical production.
At a forum in Cape Coast on Thursday, September 25, 2025, the Society’s President, Dr Samuel Kow Donkor, stressed the need for immediate action.
“Ghana currently depends on 70% of its medicines on imports. The locally produced medicines need quality water for production, especially for infusion manufacturing. When our water treatment plants are shut down because of galamsey, we will face a catastrophic scenario.
“When that happens, we will not only import our medicines, but we will completely collapse our local pharmaceutical industry,” Dr. Donkor cautioned.
He further noted that the fight against galamsey goes beyond environmental and health risks, highlighting that the future of Ghana’s pharmaceutical sector—and by extension, national security—relies on safe water and uncontaminated raw materials.
Meanwhile, a National Summary Report on Heavy Metal Contaminant Assessment by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has uncovered alarming levels of toxic metals in certain foods and cosmetics sold on the Ghanaian market.
The nationwide surveillance, conducted across all 16 regions, tested for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in turmeric, cereal mixes (commonly called tom brown), bentonite clay (ayilor), kohl (kaji kaji), as well as some skin-lightening creams and lotions.
The exercise was supported by UNICEF, and findings were presented to stakeholders, including market traders, regulators, health professionals, researchers, industry players, consumer advocates, and development partners.
According to the report:
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Kohl recorded the highest contamination, with 77.79% testing positive for lead. In the Upper East and Eastern regions, contamination reached 100%.
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Turmeric showed a 42.09% contamination rate for lead, with the Greater Accra and Central regions most affected.
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Cereal mixes (tom brown) were found to have a 29% contamination rate for cadmium, especially in the North East, Western North, and Oti regions.
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Bentonite clay (ayilor) recorded a 24.62% contamination rate for lead, with the North East and Greater Accra regions standing out.
The FDA emphasised that unbranded products from open markets and small retail outlets were the major sources of contamination, raising serious public health concerns.
On a positive note, the report indicated that some skin-lightening creams and lotions showed full compliance, with no mercury contamination detected in certain regions.
