Our colleagues Dr. Denis Kibira and Zalwango Ziada attended the final 2024 stakeholder engagement meeting on the 24 medical products for regional manufacturing in Africa initiative held in Dakar, Senegal on the 17th to 18th December 2024. The main objective was to introduce this initiative and its alignment with regional health needs to build consensus and gain stakeholder support. It was also used as an opportunity to present the roadmap for implementing the initiative, identifying gaps and incorporate stakeholder insights to ensure practical and achievable milestones.
AUDA-NEPAD recognizes the urgent need to build Africa’s capacity for pharmaceutical manufacturing to address pressing health challenges. Through the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA), the agency aims to enhance local production of critical therapeutics, strengthen health systems and reduce dependency on imports. After expert consultations, AUDA-NEPAD has identified 24 priority medical products for local production, focusing on critical health needs across Africa.