Republic of the Congo// — Ghana is taking steps to strengthen its capacity to conduct and oversee high-quality clinical trials, following an assessment of 15 public and private research and health institutions supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), with funding support from the European Union-funded Vax & Pharm Initiative.
Clinical trials generate the evidence needed to develop and evaluate vaccines, medicines and other health technologies. Strengthening the institutions that conduct and oversee these studies can help Ghana accelerate health innovation, improve preparedness for health emergencies and expand access to safe and effective health technologies.
The assessment began with a three-day capacity-building workshop that brought together representatives from 15 institutions. Reflecting Ghana’s growing and diverse scientific workforce, participants included a strong cohort of women scientists, research leaders and representatives of the private sector. Participants were introduced to the draft WHO Benchmarking Tool for institutional capability for Clinical Trials, designed for institutions to identify strengths and gaps in their ability to plan, conduct and oversee high-quality clinical trials.
The training also brought together a diverse group of researchers and scientific leaders, including strong participation from women scientists and representatives from the private sector.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute applauded the inclusive nature of the exercise.
“This exercise brings together diverse expertise and perspectives from across Ghana’s research community. Such inclusive engagement is critical to building a clinical trials ecosystem that responds effectively to national health priorities”, he said.
Following the workshop, participating institutions used the tool to conduct self-assessments of their clinical trial capacity. The assessments examined areas such as governance, infrastructure, workforce capacity and quality management among others.
WHO and NVI experts provided technical support throughout the process, helping institutions apply the tool consistently and interpret the findings.
“The benchmarking tool provides institutions with a structured framework to access their capacity,identify gaps and establish a clear roadmap for improvement. It can support institutions in strengthening their systems and conducting clinical trials that meet high standards of quality and ethics”, said Dr Susan Adu-Amankwah, Clinical Research Coordinator and Institutional Quality Manager, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).
Ghana is one of the countries participating in the multi-country pilot of the draft WHO Clinical Trials Readiness Benchmarking Tool. Lessons from Ghana and other participating countries will help WHO refine the tool and ensure that it is practical and adaptable to different country contexts.
“The experiences and insights from Ghana and other pilot countries are invaluable in helping WHO develop a tool that reflects country realities and supports meaningful capacity strengthening. This collaboration demonstrates how national leadership, shared learning and co-ownership can help build stronger clinical trial systems”, said Dr Wei Zhang, Technical Officer, WHO Headquarters.
The findings from the institutional self-assessments were subsequently reviewed and validated by all 15 participating institutions. The validated findings will contribute to the development of Ghana’s first national strategy for advancing clinical trials, providing an evidence-based roadmap for strengthening governance, infrastructure, workforce capacity, quality management systems and research partnerships.
The initiative highlights the value of collaboration between the NVI, WHO and the European Union. By combining capacity building, institutional self-assessment and validation of findings, a foundation for a stronger and more resilient clinical research ecosystem has been established. It also demonstrated the importance of inclusive scientific leadership, with women researchers and scientific leaders actively engaged throughout the training, assessment, and validation process.
A stronger clinical trials system will enable Ghana to better generate and use evidence for health innovation, while strengthening the country’s preparedness to evaluate and respond to future health threats.
Through coordinated support from the country, regional and headquarters offices of WHO, the organization remains committed to supporting the Government of Ghana to strengthen clinical trial capacity, accelerate health innovation and expand equitable access to vaccines and other life-saving health technologies.
