FDA raises concern over porous borders, unapproved routes

Ghana's borders are too porous, and unapproved routes are hindering the Food and Drugs Authority's (FDA) efforts to stop substandard food and medicines from entering the country. The FDA currently has officials at only 11 of the 32 identified border posts, making it difficult to track and intercept illicit products. Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, CEO of the FDA, highlighted this challenge at the authority's annual stakeholder meeting in Accra.

Opuni stated that the 32 identified routes are not the full picture, as there are over 150 unapproved routes. Compounding the problem, some FDA officials at the 11 operational border posts lack proper offices and work under trees. Despite these difficulties, the FDA is implementing measures to improve the situation, including providing fully functional container facilities for officers and actively identifying new border posts to combat the influx of substandard goods.

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With the border posts, I must say that the 32 is not the actual figure because my Director of Import and Export here said we have over 150 unapproved routes in the country and still counting. So, the 32 routes are the routes we have identified.

Joseph Ofosu Siaw, Head of Quality Management Systems at the FDA, also pointed out the aging state of the authority's equipment and facilities, some of which are over 20 years old and require urgent attention. The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Desmond Boateng, urged the FDA to embrace technological and digital innovation to enhance its operations and improve public health, emphasizing that regulatory excellence can be achieved through innovation, collaboration, and sustained growth.

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Across the world, regulatory authorities are showing us how innovation and collaboration can improve public health.