Technology to boost plant medicine production, employment commissioned

The Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), in collaboration with the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF), has inaugurated new equipment worth $120,500 at its facility at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern Region. 

This initiative, which forms part of the project “Enhancing Quality and Production of Plant Medicines for Improved Health Care and Sustainable Employment,” aims to significantly enhance the production capacity of herbal medicines in Ghana. 

The introduction of these equipment are expected to not only improve the quality of plant-based medicines but also create sustainable employment opportunities within the sector.

The newly inaugurated equipment includes a spray dryer, rotary evaporators, capsule counting and polishing machines, a sachet filling machine, a dissolution tester and various accessories for processing, automated encapsulation and packaging of products. 

These advanced technologies will enable the centre to meet the growing demand for herbal medicines and ensure higher standards of quality and efficiency.

At the inauguration ceremony held yesterday at Mampong Akuapem, the Board Chairman of the CPMR, Thomas Boateng Appiagyei, reflected on the centre's nearly five-decade journey and praised its commitment to harnessing the potential to address significant healthcare and economic challenges. 

Enhancing capacity

He said, “since its establishment in 1975, the centre had not fully met its research and development equipment, as well as infrastructure needs," emphasizing that the new equipment marks a historic moment for the CPMR, enhancing its capacity to research, promote and develop plant medicine.

He stated that the centre's vision of making herbal medicine a natural choice for all was supported by its governing Act (Act 833), which mandated it to seek and generate funds for research and build institutional capacity in plant medicine. 

Mr Appiagyei commended the partnership with the GSDF, noting that it aligns with the centre's mandate and the government's broader interest in facilitating employment.

"The centre's partnership with the GSDF and the results seen here today align with the mandate of the centre and the broader interest of the government in terms of employment facilitation, for which management should be commended," he added.

He reiterated that the newly acquired equipment would enhance the quality and production of plant medicines for improved healthcare and sustainable employment, benefiting both local and international markets.

This investment, he said, marked a crucial step towards achieving better health outcomes and economic growth through the innovative use of natural resources.

Job security 

Addressing concerns about job security, the board chairman encouraged the workers to embrace the new technology and improve their skills to maximise the potential of the new equipment to ensure that the benefits of the investment are fully realised.

He further expressed hope that all the equipment would be put to good use and properly maintained to ensure that the centre's goal of transforming products into the desired dosage forms would be accomplished.