Central University, Ernest Chemist Secure €250,000 Grant for Herbal Hypertension Treatment

A research partnership between Central University’s School of Pharmacy and Ernest Chemist Limited has secured €250,000 to develop and validate a standardised herbal treatment for hypertension.

The funding comes under the PharmaVax Ghana Programme, which supports research collaborations aimed at turning scientific ideas into locally developed vaccines, medicines and other healthcare solutions.

The Central University–Ernest Chemist project was among eight research collaborations selected from 43 applications submitted by research institutions and industry partners across Ghana. Together, the eight projects will share €2 million in funding.

The project brings together the academic and research expertise of Central University’s School of Pharmacy with Ernest Chemist’s experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Their focus is on developing a herbal treatment for hypertension that can undergo scientific validation and standardisation. The goal is to work towards a treatment that is safe, effective and suitable for potential use in Ghana and other markets in the region.

The project also reflects a growing effort to connect research institutions with pharmaceutical companies so that discoveries made through research can move beyond the laboratory and towards practical healthcare applications.

Under PharmaVax Ghana, the partners will receive not only financial support but also technical assistance designed to help research and industry teams develop their projects into commercially viable health products.

The grant was presented at the Research Meets Manufacturing Award Ceremony held in Accra on 19 August 2026. The event was co-hosted by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and the German development agency GIZ Ghana under the PharmaVax Ghana Programme.

The programme is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU).

For Central University, the award highlights the research capacity of its School of Pharmacy and its growing engagement with industry. For Ernest Chemist, the partnership adds to its work towards pharmaceutical innovation and locally produced healthcare solutions.

The collaboration is also expected to contribute to Ghana’s efforts to strengthen its pharmaceutical sector by supporting local research, product development and manufacturing.

If successful, the project could provide an additional locally developed option in the treatment of hypertension while demonstrating how universities and pharmaceutical companies can work together to address health challenges affecting Ghana and the wider African region.