Health security: Expert advises West Africa to produce its own medicines

Prof. David Houeto, Professor of Health Promotion at the Université de Parakou, has urged West African countries to develop local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to produce medicines for the region.

Houeto gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja, while speaking on the need for local production.

He noted that the region’s reliance on imported medicines was a threat to health security and development in the West African countries.

According to him, Africa is heavily reliant on imported medicines and this is unacceptable for a region that aspires to emerge.

”If we truly want development, we need healthy manpower. Our governments must act now to build strong and healthy nations.”

He added that countries like Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, and Benin were capable of producing medicines or forming a regional consortium to achieve self-sufficiency.

”We have the opportunity to change the situation in West Africa. It is a must, and we can,’’ he said.

Houeto also disclosed that there were existing initiatives, including the African Union’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) and the African Medicines Agency (AMA), aimed at boosting local production of medicines and active ingredients.

He said that challenges such as infrastructure deficits and human capacity were, however, hampering its completion and success, adding that thorough planning and regional cooperation were needed to overcome the challenges.

He stressed the importance of building human capacity by training citizens and incentivising West African experts overseas to return and contribute to regional pharmaceutical growth.

He also said that local production would help improve public trust, as it would reduce rumours about medicines and vaccines during epidemics and pandemics.

”We cannot achieve health security without owning our medicines. Local production will reinforce trust between governments and communities,” he said.

He called on West African countries, with leadership from Africa CDC, to pool resources, invest in pharmaceutical infrastructure, and take bold steps toward regional self-sufficiency in essential medicines.

Supreme news reports that over 70  per cent of medicines consumed in West Africa are imported mainly from Asia.

Supreme news also reports that the region imports over 95  per cent of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).