Research without borders
Researching together, protecting together: GIZ supports improved access to vaccines by strengthening the global South and while also benefiting Germany. A visit to scientists in Germany and Ghana who work side by side.
The hum of the air conditioning unit provides the backdrop for focused laboratory work. Young scientists in lab coats lean over samples, change pipettes, compare results and quietly coordinate their work. It is a typical day of work at the Institute of Virology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and at the Ghanaian Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine. Two places where global health issues are addressed in a very specific manner, and places that are now also attracting political attention.
A presidential visit that raised awareness
When the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the research centre in the middle belt of Ghana at the end of 2025, the focus was not just on test tubes and microscopes. A presidential visit signals intent. It represents a larger political and scientific agenda: the partnership-based and long-term expansion of Ghanaian-German cooperation. How this collaboration works in practice can be observed particularly well in Kumasi.
A scientific centre with international appeal
Kumasi is among the most important scientific centres in the West African country. Here you can see how Ghana is systematically strengthening its health care system – and how long-term cooperation with the Global South can be more than just a symbol.
The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) plays key location in the process. It was established 28 years ago as a partnership between the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Ministry of Health in Ghana, together with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Germany. Today, KCCR is one of the country’s leading research institutions and a central partner for Germany in research and international cooperation.
Vaccine research: a strategic goal
A central pillar of Ghana’s policy is the expansion of its own vaccine research capacities. In the long term, the country not only wants to participate in global research, but also enable domestic development and production of vaccines and serums, in cooperation with the private sector. Therefore, GIZ is implementing a programme on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU). Together with Ghanaian and international partners, highly specialised research networks, practical training formats for vaccine production staff and partnerships in science and industry are being established.
The aim is to mainstream know-how in the country in the long term and promote talent in a targeted manner. The KCCR’s Scientific Director, Professor Richard Odame Phillips, emphasises how this works in practice: ‘We have supported 80 doctoral students and 120 master’s degree students to date. Many of the trained PHDs now teach at universities in Ghana.’
What Phillips describes is more than just the result of funding activities. It is the establishment of an independent scientific community that is increasingly shaping research, teaching and health policy decisions in Ghana. It also promotes African ambitions.
Bridges between Ghana and Germany
This development is also influencing the next generation of Ghanaian scientists. One of them is Philip El-Duah. The 38-year-old virologist has been travelling between Berlin and Kumasi for six years. He was educated in Ghana and Germany, and is familiar with the research cultures of the two countries.
Today, El-Duah passes on his knowledge – at the Institute of Virology at Charité and at the KCCR. There, the cooperation between Ghana and Germany continues in everyday laboratory work.
Learning in a laboratory – and beyond
As part of the programme, participants spend three months working in the laboratories at the Charité. They learn modern laboratory techniques, familiarise themselves with European quality and safety standards, and gain special certificates. The training programme is deliberately designed for practical application.
‘We work in an open, collaborative environment where mutual learning takes centre stage,’ says El-Duah. This creates added value for both sides: challenges in the health care sector can be analysed and solutions developed together.
The Government of President John Dramani Mahama envisions establishing Ghana as a pharmaceutical production centre for West Africa and beyond. GIZ has been supporting the country’s plan to achieve greater independence in producing medicines and vaccines since 2021.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union, GIZ is implementing an initiative for manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa, which Europe uses to support African partners in promoting local production. The programme works with Ghanaian and international partners such as public authorities, the private sector and research and training institutions.
For example, GIZ is supporting Ghana’s National Vaccine Institute in strengthening its capacity to coordinate and monitor vaccine research, development and production. Support activities include organisational development, staff training, technical advice and logistical support.
Networking at the World Health Summit
However, the programme does not end in the laboratory. The training concept also includes social dialogue. Young Ghanaian scientists took part in the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin, where they discussed key global health care issues with representatives from the fields of politics, business, and civil society.
It became clear that European funding for vaccine research in Africa has long been more than just a question of global solidarity. It is in the well-understood interests of societies on both continents.
