Mahama urges Africa to invest in local pharmaceutical manufacturing
President John Dramani Mahama has urged African countries to accelerate investment in local pharmaceutical manufacturing to reduce the continent’s dependence on imported medicines and vaccines and strengthen its health security.
President John Dramani Mahama has called on African nations to invest more in local pharmaceutical manufacturing to lessen dependence on imports and bolster health security. At the Health Plenary of the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt, Mahama highlighted that Africa currently imports over 70% of its pharmaceuticals and nearly 99% of its vaccines, resulting in significant foreign exchange losses and supply chain vulnerabilities.
He identified Africa's growing population of 2.5 billion by 2050, the potential of import substitution, foreign exchange protection, and the African Continental Free Trade Area as key drivers for domestic pharmaceutical production. Mahama also praised the Africa CDC's successful pooled tender for maternal and child health products, which achieved price reductions of 30-90% and increased African manufacturer participation to 50% of product lines, emphasizing the potential for coordinated demand to create cash flows for producers.
He urged investors and industrial leaders to support pharmaceutical manufacturing as a resilient area for investment.
Brief written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
