The Honorary Consul of Indonesia to Ghana, H.E. Paskal A.B. Rois, has opened discussions with the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) on a potential partnership to strengthen vaccine research, development, and local production in Ghana.

During a working visit to the NVI in Accra on Tuesday, H.E. Rois met with the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, and Deputy CEO, Dr. Faisal Nuhu. The talks focused on establishing a vaccine production hub in Ghana, drawing on Indonesia’s extensive experience in global vaccine manufacturing.

Highlighting Indonesia’s track record, H.E. Rois pointed to the achievements of Bio Farma, the state-owned pharmaceutical company that produces more than 2.3 billion vaccine doses annually and supplies to over 150 countries under WHO and UNICEF certifications. He stressed that a Ghana–Indonesia partnership could reduce Africa’s dependence on imported vaccines and position Ghana as a manufacturing leader in West Africa.

As part of Indonesia’s support, he revealed that Indonesia Aid was ready to provide technical assistance, while scholarships from the Indonesian government were already benefitting Ghanaian students, with seven selected this year for advanced studies in various disciplines.

On health security, H.E. Rois announced ongoing discussions with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health to supply Monkeypox test kits to Ghana. He also proposed closer institutional collaboration between Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control to harmonize regulatory processes for vaccine development and clinical trials.

Dr. Sodzi-Tettey welcomed the initiative, affirming the NVI’s readiness to collaborate while stressing the importance of government support and strong regulatory oversight. He cited ongoing partnerships with Atlantic Life Sciences and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research as critical foundations for Ghana’s vaccine self-sufficiency agenda.

On capacity building, Dr. Sodzi-Tettey proposed that Ghana’s Ministry of Health and Indonesia formalize training opportunities through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable Ghanaian health professionals to access specialized training in Indonesia with structured knowledge transfer.

H.E. Rois thanked the NVI leadership for their reception and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Ghana in health, biotechnology, and broader areas of cooperation.