I.A.M - Magazine - Page 68
PROJECT: Regional Pharmaceutical Sector
Support Project
SECTOR: Health
AREA: Continental
COMMITMENT: UA 9.2 million
In a bold move to strengthen Africa’s pharmaceutical
sector and boost regional integration, the Regional
Pharmaceutical Sector Support Project was launched
in in February 2024. Its strategic aim is to address
critical gaps so that Africa is not just a consumer of
pharmaceutical products but a significant player in their
development and production. The project also aligns
with the AfDB’s new Ten-Year Strategy (TYS
2024-2033) and the Bank’s High 5 priority pillar to:
Improve the Quality of Life for Africans.
The project is financed with a grant from the Regional
Public Goods (RPG) allocation of the ADF-16 Regional
Operations Envelope. However, although the project is
national (Rwanda Government being the grant
recipient), it qualified for RPG grants because of its
regional benefits.
At the heart of this project is the African Pharmaceutical
Technology Foundation (APTF) - a continental
not-for-profit organization which is poised to
revolutionize the pharmaceutical landscape in Africa.
Out of the global UA 9.2 m (about USD 12 million)
ADF-16 grant, UA 4.8 million (about USD 6.5 million)
has been earmarked for operationalizing the APTF.
Changing the Game
With the Bank’s support, some of the APTF key areas of
interventions include facilitating technology transfer to
African manufacturers; launching a continental
pharmaceutical technology marketplace to connect
innovators and producers; and promoting compliance
with global manufacturing standards, ensuring safer,
high-quality medicines.
Based in Kigali, Rwanda APTF also promotes
technology access, transfer, and technological
upgrading in the pharmaceutical sector for Africa.
By fostering these intentional and innovative solutions,
APTF is changing the game in Africa’s pharmaceutical
production ecosystems, empowering local industries to
boost their technological capabilities. It is also helping
to safeguard public health, thereby strengthening this
key sector in Africa’s development and integration
goals.
The APTF, is therefore a crucial cog in the successful
implementation of Africa’s integration ambitions – and
in the health of its people. As the adage goes, “A health
Population, A Heathy Economy”.
Equitable and Resilient Healthcare
But the Regional Pharmaceutical Sector Support
Project beneficiaries extend beyond the APTF and
pharmaceutical companies. Others include regulatory
bodies such as Rwanda Food and Drugs Agency (FDA)
and the Africa Union’s Africa Medicines Agency (AMA)
which has signed a pact with Rwanda’s Food and
Drugs Laboratory to use its testing facilities and the
EAC Regional Centre of Excellence. Indirect
beneficiaries are of course, Africans, with a particular
focus on uplifting the health outcomes of the poorest.
By addressing prevalent diseases, improving access to
affordable and quality medicines, and strengthening
health supply chains, (and with the support of these
institutions) the Bank is contributing to creating a more
equitable and resilient healthcare system across the
continent.
APTF areas of interventions
include facilitating technology
transfer to African manufacturers
and launching a continental
pharmaceutical technology
marketplace to connect
innovators and producers.
