President John Mahama has appointed Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni as Chairman of the Board of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni an academic is different from Stephen Kwabena Opuni, a former COCOBOD and FDA Chief Executive.Â
Dr. Frimpong Manso Opuni studied pharmacy and subsequently obtained his MSc. Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Control degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana in 2005.Â
He is a registered pharmacist since 2003, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) since 2008. In 2016, he received his PhD from University of Rostock, Germany, and was awarded a three-month postdoctoral fellowship in 2019 at the same University. He is a DAAD Scholar. During his PhD studies, he obtained the prestigious Hermes grant from University of Rostock for a three-month stay at University of Washington, USA.
He joined the Food and Drugs Authority in 2006 and moved to the School of Pharmacy, University of Ghana, in 2010. He is currently an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Chemistry with the School of Pharmacy, University of Ghana.Â
He serves on GTEC Panels to assess undergraduate and graduate programmes in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences for accreditation and re-accreditation. He is also an External Examiner and Assessor in pharmaceutical chemistry for some tertiary institutions in Ghana. He has published several articles, and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals and internationally recognized publishing houses. He has co-authored a book in pharmacoproteomics.
He has provided consultancy services in pharmaceutical regulation and services nationally and internationally. Specifically, he has consulted for the United States Pharmacopoeia Convention, Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (Liberia), West Africa Health Organization, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana Limited/Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, German Technical Cooperation, and National Medicines & Food Administration (Eritrea) to train regulators in quality management systems, dossier assessment of medicines and vaccines, and monitoring and evaluation of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.
He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, International Society for Infectious Diseases, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, German Society for Mass Spectrometry, and Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.
He has attended several national and international conferences/training in medicines/vaccine regulation with organizations such as Royal Society of Chemistry, Informa Life Sciences, United States Pharmacopoeia, World Health Organization, United Nations Industrial Organisation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Atomic Energy Agency, European Medicines Agency, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, and German Society for Mass Spectrometry. He is an ardent advocate for availability of quality, efficacious and affordable essential medicines, and protection of the vulnerable in society.
