Importing medicines into Ghana

The regulator

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA Ghana) regulates medicines under Part 7 of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851). Its Centre for Import and Export Control issues electronic import permits, known as eMDA documents, through Ghana's ICUMS customs system and inspects consignments at approved ports. The FDA's import permit guideline (July 2025) names Tema Harbour and Kotoka International Airport as approved ports, plus other borders the FDA approves.

Two rules shape every import. First, only businesses licensed by the FDA as importers may import pharmaceutical products. Second, the FDA does not allow parallel importation: bringing in a brand registered by another importer leads to testing at the importer's cost, full registration fees and a fine.

Legal routes for unregistered medicines

The same guideline states that only registered products may be imported unless the FDA gives special approval under sections 118 and 124 of Act 851. It lists the products that need special approval:

• Prescription products for personal use
• Samples for registration and promotion
• Clinical trial products and samples
• Donated products
• Products under emergency use authorisation

Named-patient biological products

For biologicals and vaccines the FDA publishes a dedicated named-patient guideline and form (FDA/VBP/GDL-12/02). Its main conditions:

• Permission is granted to a doctor to administer the product to a patient under their care.
• Each application covers one product, one doctor and one patient.
• Quantity is limited to 3 months of supply, at the FDA's discretion.
• The permit covers one consignment, is valid for 6 months and lapses if the product is registered.
• Labels and inserts must be in English.
• The importing company, hospital or clinic signs the importer sections, and the doctor signs a declaration with their Medical and Dental Council number, accepting responsibility and keeping patient records.

For unregistered medicines that are not biologicals, no separate named-patient form was found on the FDA site. The request still falls under the special approval categories above, so confirm the application format with the FDA.

Shelf life

Products for distribution need at least 60 percent of their shelf life remaining. A product with a shelf life of 24 months or less needs at least 80 percent remaining.

Documents a buyer usually needs

• FDA special approval, or the named-patient permit for a biological
• eMDA permit on ICUMS for the consignment
• FDA importer licence of the Ghanaian consignee
• Prescription and the doctor's reason for not using a registered product
• Proforma invoice, commercial invoice and packing list
• Certificate of analysis for each batch
• English labels and package insert, submitted for review on a first application
• Air waybill

Timeline: a worked example

A teaching hospital in Accra needs a monoclonal antibody for a named patient. The product is not registered with the FDA.

Total: roughly 3 to 8 weeks, depending mainly on the FDA review. These are planning estimates, not published service times.

Shipping lanes from India

Most air freight from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad or Bengaluru to Accra (ACC) connects through a hub such as Dubai, Doha, Addis Ababa or Nairobi. Express courier service is usually 4 to 7 days door to door for small, non-controlled parcels. Air cargo is usually 6 to 12 days including FDA inspection and customs. Sea freight into Tema Harbour suits large registered consignments but is too slow for most named-patient requests.

CIP and DAP to Accra are the common terms, and FCA suits hospitals or importers that use their own forwarder. The eMDA permit is a pre-arrival document, so the Ghanaian consignee should have it approved before the goods land.

Practical tips for buyers

• Duty on HS 3004 medicines is 0 percent under the ECOWAS tariff according to World Bank WITS data.
• VAT needs a product check. The VAT Act 2025 (Act 1151) applies 15 percent VAT plus 2.5 percent NHIL and 2.5 percent GETFund levy to taxable imports from 1 January 2026. GRA's exemption list covers essential drugs under Chapter 30 and selected imported special drugs approved by the Minister for Health, so confirm whether the product qualifies.
• Other port levies apply on top. The US trade guide for Ghana says these can add as much as 12 percent of CIF value on general goods.
• A permit is presented to customs once. If part of a shipment is short-landed, a new permit is needed for the missing goods.
• Make sure the product name and strength on the permit, invoice and packs match exactly, since every consignment is physically inspected.