The Crucial Role of the Private Sector in Strengthening Medicines Regulation for Effective Public Health Response in Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the urgent need for equitable access to quality healthcare products across Africa, highlighting the necessity of fortifying medicines regulation on the continent. Effective medicines regulation plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of healthcare products. In the context of […]
An Enabling Environment for Local Production of Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics in Africa

One of the goals of Agenda 2063 of the African Union is “healthy and well-nourished citizens”, aspiring to the health and well-being of Africans. [1] In this regard, Africa CDC has launched Africa’s New Public Health Order [2] with a focus on five core pillars, namely: Strengthen African institutions for public health Expand manufacturing of […]
Manufacturing medical products in Africa: the need is clear, goals have been set, what remains is action

For the last two years, the terms ‘Africa’, ‘manufacturing’, and ‘medical commodities’, especially vaccines, have been discussed at length by different stakeholders. Most conversations have been around and/or about the disease burden, supply versus demand of medical commodities and the risks posed by the continent’s heavy reliance on importation. The common output has been an […]
Promoting Quality Healthcare Through Local Manufacturing

As of March 2022, Africa had a population of approximately 1.4 billion people. The health needs of this population are massive, and they are increasing by the day. Unfortunately, local manufacturing of medical commodities in Africa is not growing at the same pace as the population. Africa is importing more than 80 percent of her […]
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: An Overview of East Africa

The demand for healthcare products in the East African region is expected to continue growing – pushed by the large and growing population, the significant unmet medical need, the growing middle class and increasing government focus on the health of populations and new models of care being designed (such as public-private partnerships and insurance). The […]
Health Business Investment In Africa

Now more than ever is the time to invest in Africa’s health sector. Although there are many challenges and barriers, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further widened the glaring gaps in the health sector, there is both the opportunity and responsibility to use these challenges as a chance to invest in building stronger health systems […]
Investment Opportunities in the African Healthcare Sector

Furthermore, COVID-19 has disrupted global supply chains, increased the burden on health workers and interrupted continuous care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and treatment of other illnesses like malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS. However, the pandemic has also spurred local manufacturing, increasing our awareness of the need to rely less on international supply chains. African economies are […]
Incentivising and Investing in Local Pharmaceutical Production

With imports comprising as much as 70-90% of healthcare products consumed in most countries in Africa, including East Africa, it is important that we consider an increase in local production as a way to create stronger and more resilient healthcare systems. Taking pharmaceuticals as an example of the continent’s reliance on imports, most countries are […]