WHO supports Ghana’s clinical trial capacity assessment across 15 institutions

GHANA — Ghana is assessing the capacity of research and health institutions to conduct and oversee high-quality clinical trials as the country works to strengthen its clinical research system.

The assessment covers 15 public and private research and health institutions and is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), with funding from the European Union-funded Vax & Pharm Initiative.

Clinical trials provide evidence needed to develop and evaluate vaccines, medicines and other health technologies.

Strengthening the institutions involved in these studies can help Ghana generate reliable evidence, improve preparedness for health emergencies and support access to safe and effective health technologies.

Building institutional capacity

The assessment began with a three-day capacity-building workshop that brought together representatives from the 15 participating institutions.

Participants included researchers, scientific leaders, women scientists, and private sector representatives, reflecting the diversity of Ghana’s research community.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to the draft WHO Benchmarking Tool for Institutional Capability for Clinical Trials.

The tool enables institutions to assess their ability to plan, conduct and oversee clinical trials and identify areas that require improvement.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the NVI, highlighted the importance of bringing together different areas of expertise.

“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, the participating institutions used the benchmarking tool to conduct self assessments of their clinical trial capacity.

 The assessments covered governance, infrastructure, workforce capacity and quality management, among other areas.

WHO and NVI experts provided technical support throughout the process, helping institutions apply the tool consistently and interpret their findings.

Dr Susan Adu Amankwah, Clinical Research Coordinator and Institutional Quality Manager at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, said the tool could help institutions identify gaps and plan improvements.

“The benchmarking tool provides institutions with a structured framework to assess 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,” she said.

Supporting a national clinical trials strategy

Ghana is among the countries participating in a multi-country pilot of the draft WHO Clinical Trials Readiness Benchmarking Tool.

Lessons from Ghana and other participating countries will inform WHO’s refinement of the tool and help ensure that it can be adapted to different national settings.

Dr Wei Zhang, Technical Officer at WHO Headquarters, said the experiences gathered during the pilot would help shape the tool and support practical capacity building.

The findings from the institutional self-assessments were subsequently reviewed and validated by all 15 participating institutions.

The validated findings will inform the development of Ghana’s first national strategy for advancing clinical trials.

The strategy is expected to provide an evidence based framework for strengthening governance, infrastructure, workforce capacity, quality management systems and research partnerships.

The initiative brings together the NVI, WHO, and the European Union to support clinical research capacity in Ghana.

Women researchers, scientific leaders, and private sector representatives also participated throughout the training, assessment, and validation stages.

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