Partnerships
The Strategy, Partnerships, and International Collaborations Department (SPICD) is a designated department under the Business Development and International Partnerships Directorate that fosters relationships between the FDA and its partners, both local and international, to ensure the safety, quality and efficacy of human and veterinary drugs, food, biological products, cosmetics, medical devices, household chemical substances and clinical trials, and the control of tobacco products through the enforcement of relevant standards to protect public health.
The Strategy, Partnerships, and International Collaborations Department coordinates the:
- development and implementation of corporate and functional strategies
- proactively manages partner and collaborator relationships.
- development and implementation of business development plans to drive revenue generation to support the achievement of strategy plans.
Strategy and Business Development Unit (SBDU)
- Oversee the development and implementation of the organizational strategy.
Partnerships and International Collaborations Unit (PICU)
- Keep an eye on potential funding opportunities that may be relevant to the various departments.
- Liaison between FDA and its partners
Project Management Unit (PMU)
- Provide Logistics management for ongoing projects.
Oversight of proposal development process
Notable achievements/milestones
- FDA was designated as a Regional Center of Regulatory Excellence in Vaccines Regulatory Oversight in Africa by the Africa Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The designation underscores the FDA’s commitment to strengthening the vaccine regulatory capacity of other regulatory authorities in Africa.
- Deepened Collaboration between FDA and Researchers through FDA’s Maiden Scientific forum
- Development and implementation of FDA’s Strategic Compass
- Capacity building for FDA staff
INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES
- Piloted implementation of the FDA – GSA harmonization aimed to streamline the processes of the two organizations and eliminate existing overlaps.
- Researched and initiated action towards the adoption of the WHO-FAO Food Control Assessment Tool to evaluate Ghana’s food control system.
- Collaborated with the Food Evaluation and Research department and developed an initiation plan to execute the FDA’s action toward reducing the Non-Communicable Disease burden on the Ghanaian economy.
- Piloted the implementation of the Proper Seals Platform.
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
- Facilitated projects with EDCTP, AUDA-NEPAD, BMGF, EU-GIZ, USP, CDC/ Taskforce for Global Health, Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus PQM+, ePAC, among others.
- Worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to reach out the all the National Regulatory Agencies (NRAs) in the African countries).
- Coordinated the FDA’s participation in the Pharma Logistics Africa (PLA2022) in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Coordinated support for the organization of the 3rd AMRH week.
- Facilitated Capacity building initiatives for Rwanda FDA, Mozambique ANARME, Guinea, Botswana, Senegal NRAs.
- The department hosted the Guinea Pharmaceutical Authority for a two-day technical assistance mission.
- The department coordinated a one-week study tour of three (3) regulators from the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA) in Quality Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Financial Audit and Assurance Service, Center for Laboratory Services and Research (Drug Lab and Medical Devices Lab), Inspectorate, and Strategy, Partnerships, and International Collaborations Department from Monday 27th November 2023 to Thursday, 30 November 2023.
- The Department facilitated a one-week board visit of six (6) board members from the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA) on the exploration of Ghana FDA’s strategies regarding shareholding and governance, an examination of its organizational structure, a comprehensive tour of its facilities, an exchange of management experiences, discussions of challenges faced, including the opportunity to gain insights and recommendations from the Ghana FDA from Monday 11th to Friday 15th December 2023.
Collaborations and Partnerships:
The Department’s approach to collaboration and partnerships.
- Organize a session called Lunch and Learn to facilitate a discussion on the department’s SWOT analysis, identifying potential partners for collaboration.
- Identify and promote innovation and best practice adoption.
Highlights of the types of organizations/entities the department collaborates with.
- Government agencies; Ministry of Health, GSA
- International Bodies: National Regulatory Agency, World Health Organization and African Union Development Agency
- Industry Association: GAEC
Successful partnerships and their impact.
- The FDA-GSA joint application system was operationalized in 2022 to enable applicants apply for the FDA registration and GSA certification in a single application. This has reduced the time taken by local manufacturers to obtain both approvals.
- The FDA hosted a 4-member delegation from the National Drug Regulatory Authority of Mozambique (ANARME) from Monday, 28th August 2023, to Friday, 8th September 2023.