FDA warns ageing laboratory equipment is affecting testing capacity
Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority recorded a GH¢70m surplus in 2025, but says ageing laboratory equipment and the growing threat of illicit products are putting pressure on its ability to protect public health.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) recorded a GH¢70m surplus in 2025, a 51% increase from the previous year, but has warned that ageing laboratory equipment is becoming a major challenge to its public health work.
The authority said some of its laboratory equipment is between eight and 20 years old and increasingly difficult to maintain, particularly in laboratories that operate around the clock.
The warning was issued at the FDA's 2025 Annual Stakeholders' Meeting in Accra, where its audited financial and operational performance was presented.
Deputy Director of Finance Samuel Adom-Siaw said the FDA's surplus increased from GH¢46m in 2024 to GH¢70m in 2025.
The authority's total assets also rose from GH¢296m to GH¢358m, while its liabilities fell from GH¢12m to GH¢3.4m.
Total revenue for the year was GH¢420m. Of this, GH¢278m came from internally generated funds, GH¢78m from donor inflows and GH¢63m from government subsidies.
Despite the stronger financial position, the FDA fell short of its internally generated funds target by GH¢95m, which Mr Adom-Siaw attributed largely to exchange-rate movements.
Expenditure increased only marginally, from GH¢266m in 2024 to GH¢267m in 2025, despite higher staff compensation and increased operational demands.
Growing pressure on laboratories
The concern over laboratory capacity comes as the FDA's workload increased significantly during the year.
The authority received 7,551 samples for laboratory testing in 2025, a 76% increase from 2024.
But it achieved 77% testing coverage against its target of 85%.
FDA Quality Assurance Manager Joseph Ofosu-Siaw appealed to stakeholders and development partners to help provide modern laboratory equipment to improve the authority's testing capacity.
The laboratories are central to the FDA's work of assessing the safety and quality of regulated products before and after they enter the Ghanaian market.
The authority also inspected 47,189 consignments at the ports, 21.7% more than in 2024.
It carried out 2,250 market surveillance exercises and visited 24,755 retail outlets, retrieving 215,876 non-compliant products.
Illicit products remain a challenge
The FDA also reported stepped-up enforcement against businesses and individuals who breach regulatory
requirements.
Its Director of Legal Services, Perpetual Vicentia Yankson, said the authority issued about 80 warnings and 233 administrative fines in 2025.
The violations included unapproved advertisements, the sale of unregistered products, pharmaceutical recalls,
unlicensed cold-storage facilities and illicit tobacco activities.
Mrs Yankson warned businesses against manufacturing, importing, distributing or selling regulated products without FDA registration.
She also said advertisements for regulated products must receive prior FDA approval.
The authority said it would intensify intelligence-led enforcement and risk-based surveillance, while working more closely with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and other institutions to tackle illicit imports and unregistered products.
More locally produced products
The FDA said 62% of regulated products registered in 2025 were locally produced, compared with 33% in 2024.
It also received 24,446 product applications and processed 24,225, resulting in 20,205 approvals.
The authority trained 8,693 street food vendors and issued 1,369 permits under its street food safety programme.
The figures point to a growing regulatory workload, while the FDA says its ageing laboratory infrastructure needs investment.
For consumers, the issue is significant because laboratory testing and market surveillance form part of the safeguards intended to keep unsafe or non-compliant food, medicines and other regulated products off the market.