Annual Programme of Work 2009 - Ministry of Health

6.4. REGULATION
6.4.1. FOOD AND DRUGS BOARD
The Food and Drugs Board was established by the Food and Drugs Law, 1992 (PNDCL
305B) to regulate the manufacturing exportation, and distribution of food, drugs, cosmetics
medical devices and household chemicals in Ghana. This law has since been amended by the
Food and Drugs (Amendment) Act 523, 1996 to provide for the fortification of salt to
alleviate nutritional deficiencies and to bring the provision of the law in conformity with the
1992 constitution of the public of Ghana.
In pursuance of the Board’s agenda of decentralization to provide service to the whole
country the Board established two (2) new zonal offices at Sunyani and Tamale and a border
post at Aflao in 2008. The Board also linked its software activities at the Kotoka International
Airport and the Tema seaport onto the GCNet and collaborated with a number of institutions
to improve services.
Regulating food and drugs remains a key challenge to the Board.
The policy thrust for 2009 focuses on the promotion of consumer participation in food
safety interventions, supporting food processors at key levels in the food supply chain to
upgrade knowledge and improve upon quality of food offered for sale and strengthening of
collaboration with other agencies to minimize influx of sub-standard products into the
Ghanaian market.
Priority Activities
• Develop relevant regulations to ensure food and drug safety
• Enhance public awareness on food and drugs safety
• Train identified food processors at the schools, street joints, chop bars and local
restaurants
• Enforce regulatory mandates through increased involvement of the metropolitan,
municipal and district assemblies
• Promote local production and increase access to supplies and logistics including food,
pharmaceutical and traditional medicines
• Improve and strengthen systems for continuous monitoring and assurance of quality,
efficacy and safety of food and medicines including traditional medicines
• Implement the administrative guidelines for issuing compulsory licensing, parallel
importation and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities
particularly with regard to certain foods and antiretroviral drugs
• Finalize the framework and manual for pharmaco-vigilance
Expected Results
• Food processors trained to apply basic principles in ensuring food safety
• Quality of food offered to consumers improved
• Consumer knowledge and appreciation of food and drug safety issues improved
• Effectiveness of enforcement of regulatory mandates improved.
• Framework and manual for pharmaco-vigilance developed
33