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Report unexpected adverse drug reactions to FDA or health centres – Acting E/R FDA boss
The Acting Eastern Regional Head of the Food and Drugs Authority(FDA), Madam Anita Owusu Kuffour has advised the general public to quickly report issues of unexpected adverse drug reactions to the FDA or health centres and pharmacies where the medicines were supplied.
She said reporting the adverse drug reactions would enable her outfit to assess the safety of the drug products and ensure medicinal products were registered, wholesome and meet the prescribed standards.
“The general public is advised to quickly report adverse effects of drugs that are unexpected and they can report to our offices, clinics, or can use the MED Safety app to report so that we can ensure that all products found on the market are safe for consumption,” she stated.
Madam Kuffour gave the advice during a public engagement organised in Koforidua to educate the general public on the need to report such issues and educate medicine sellers on how to properly handle medicines.
The sensitization was also aimed at enabling the FDA reach out to people in low-income levels of society who patronize such medicinal products and increase their awareness of medicine safety and improve reporting of adverse drug reactions.
Madam Kuffour revealed that over the years, her outfit had engaged in active promotion of public health and safety through effective regulation and the utilization of various communication strategies and tools to create the needed awareness among consumers about the safety of regulated products.
She said during active surveillance of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) from COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 and 2022 which was implemented with the help of Promoting Quality of Medicines Plus Programme (PQM+), they identified that most issues on AEFIs were reported under active surveillance which was costly and difficult to sustain.
She stated that improving spontaneous reporting would reduce the need for active surveillance and save limited resources, hence the need to encourage the public to report such issues at the clinics, CHPS zones, health centres and her outfit where such reporting was low.
“Some drugs products can get into trade in the country as a result of our porous borders and is the FDA’s duty to make sure products on the market are wholesome, registered and meet the prescribed standard. This will help to retrieve them from the market, hence this education,” she added.
Madam Kuffour advised importers, distributors and whole sellers to make sure that the products offered for sale have been duly registered, adding that the FDA was committed to offering help to register their products and give them the technical know-how to bring the products into law.
She also advised drug sellers to desist from selling drugs in buses and making claims about products that were not approved, and advised them to use appropriate ventures to sell or sell at designated placed. She further advised the general public to desist from buying such drugs.
For his part, a Senior Regulatory Officer at the FDA, Peter Alordji advised medicine sellers to ensure proper handling of products and see to its safety, efficacy, as well as the quality of all medicinal products.
He also charged the public to report immediately symptoms that were unexpected after taking drugs to FDA or supplier of the medicine to ensure proper regulatory action and prevent people from consuming substandard medicines.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
