At the 2025 Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) held in Durban, Aspen Pharmacare’s Dr. Stavros Nicolaou called for bold reforms to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry in Africa, urging governments and global health bodies to remove regulatory bottlenecks and fix procurement inefficiencies that hinder local drug manufacturing.
Reforming Procurement to Support African Manufacturers
Nicolaou, Aspen’s Group Senior Executive for Strategic Trade, criticized current systems that make it take up to six years for African drug makers to receive market qualification. He emphasized that the process could be done in half the time. His call comes amid mounting African pharma procurement challenges that keep the continent dependent on imports for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
He urged organizations like Gavi, UNICEF, and the Global Fund to shift procurement policies to prioritize African-made products. The African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), he noted, was a step forward but remains “not fit for purpose” given its limited $1.2 billion budget over ten years.
Reducing Africa’s Heavy Import Reliance
Despite having the world’s highest disease burden, Africa continues to import over 99% of its vaccines and high-demand medicines. Nicolaou highlighted that South Africa alone imports most of its antiretrovirals despite having the capacity to produce them locally. “Charity starts at home,” he said, stressing that national procurement laws must prioritize domestic manufacturing.
This dependency contributes to the continent’s growing trade deficit, particularly in pharmaceuticals. South Africa’s drug market is valued at R70 billion, yet imports account for more than 50% of its total market volume. Addressing these African pharma procurement challenges is vital to building resilience and supply security.
Strengthening Local Sourcing and Capacity
Experts at CPHIA 2025 echoed Nicolaou’s call for local sourcing in African pharma, emphasizing the need for harmonized regulations, financing mechanisms, and capacity-building. Dr. Serge Blaise Emaleu stressed that Africa’s self-reliance in health innovation depends on linking science to production, funding R&D, training professionals, and investing in infrastructure.
Nicolaou proposed a three-step plan to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry in Africa:
- Introduce priority review systems to fast-track drug licensing alongside WHO reviews.
- Expand Gavi subsidies for locally made vaccines.
- Establish pooled procurement across Africa to achieve economies of scale.
The Future of African Pharma Manufacturing
With growing advocacy for local sourcing in African pharma, industry leaders agree that success will depend on coordinated leadership, financing, and innovation. As Nicolaou concluded, “We can’t have African solutions compiled elsewhere and imposed on Africa. It won’t work.”
Africa’s shift toward local manufacturing offers a pathway to economic growth and health sovereignty — but it requires swift policy action and continental unity. For more updates on health innovation across Africa, visit travel.afrikeye.com.
This story was first reported by Health Policy Watch. Read the full article here.
