Co-authored by Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Unitaid Executive Director, Dr. Philippe Duneton.
This journal article was first published in The Council on Foreign Relations’ Think Global Health.
Global health leaders are confronting a new reality: Multilateral aid is contracting, major donors are pulling back, and low- or middle-income countries—particularly in Africa—are forced to tackle more complex, frequent, and widespread health threats with fewer resources. As health systems grapple with growing pressure and unpredictability, the need for locally driven, sustainable solutions is becoming ever more urgent.
That’s why, with regional manufacturing high on the agenda at the Group of 20 (G20) Health Working Group last week in South Africa, global attention is turning to a truth many countries in Africa have long recognized: Health security cannot depend on distant suppliers and uncertain aid. This moment demands not only reflection, but also reinvention.
Nowhere is this need more urgent than in the production of health products. Africa bears 25% of the global disease burden—including major infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria—yet it imports more than 95% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and 70% of the medicines it consumes [PDF]. This leaves countries vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions, price shocks, and unpredictable donor shifts. Patients who rely on steady access to quality-assured tests and treatments are already seeing devastating consequences.
To understand the scale of the challenge, consider this: Africa is home to 1.5 billion people but has just 600 health-product manufacturing sites. In contrast, India is home to 1.4 billion but has approximately 10,000 sites, and China has around 5,000 sites for a similar population. This vast disparity leaves African nations more exposed to global supply-chain shocks and limits their ability to respond to local health needs with the speed, affordability, and self-reliance needed to ensure essential products are available when and where they’re needed without depending on distant suppliers or uncertain aid.
Read the full opinion piece here.
