Evaluating French-English pharmacy training curricula in Ghana using the CIPP model: gaps and opportunities for regional integration

Introduction Linguistic diversity within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) presents challenges to healthcare delivery, professional communication, and workforce mobility, underscoring the need to integrate French-English bilingual competencies into pharmacy education. This study evaluates the integration of French-English bilingual competencies in pharmacy training curricula in Ghana using the Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model, with particular attention to their contribution to regional health workforce integration. Methods An embedded mixed-methods design was employed, combining curriculum document analysis and a structured student questionnaire. Four educators and French-language experts assessed the curricula of two accredited public universities using a CIPP-based evaluation checklist. Additionally, a structured questionnaire was administered to 196 pharmacy students from three public universities. The third institution contributed student survey data but was not included in the curriculum evaluation. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to assess curriculum integration and students' self-perceived bilingual communicative competence. Results Both institutions evaluated achieved the Strong Integration category, recording composite CIPP scores of 74.5% and 69.0%, respectively. The curricula demonstrated strengths in communicative and patient-centred pharmacy tasks, bilingual mediation, and alignment with regional healthcare priorities. However, integration across the four CIPP dimensions was uneven, revealing gaps in experiential learning, institutional partnerships, and cross-border training opportunities. Student self-assessment results indicated moderate preparedness for Francophone professional practice (M = 2.98/5), suggesting limitations in adaptive communication and professional collaboration. These findings reveal a gap between curriculum integration and students' perceived readiness to apply bilingual competencies in authentic professional contexts. Discussion Although the evaluated curricula demonstrate considerable progress towards French-English bilingual integration, their capacity to produce practice-ready graduates remains constrained by limited experiential learning, the absence of structured Francophone clinical placements, institutional exchange programmes, and regional mobility pathways. The findings suggest that curriculum integration alone is insufficient to guarantee the development of functional bilingual competence. Strengthening university partnerships, incorporating authentic clinical communication experiences, expanding cross-border training opportunities, and developing a harmonised regional competence framework are therefore essential to improving pharmacy education and supporting healthcare delivery and professional mobility across West Africa.