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To ensure access to medicines and diagnostics, Africa has spent years investing in pharma manufacturing capacity. We now have factories. But governments must become reliable buyers of locally manufactured medicines if the industry is to move forward.
Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor
The biggest priority in the diagnostics industry in Africa has been building manufacturing capacity. The latest PATH analysis suggests the continent can now produce more than 500 million diagnostics annually and has 577 approved diagnostics. Despite this progress, manufacturers cannot fully utilise that capacity because of unpredictable demand.
Africa CDC is already trying to solve that problem through the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, launched to consolidate and create a more predictable market for African manufacturers. In June 2026, Egypt became the first country to host the mechanism's operational headquarters.
Kenya is already testing the pooled procurement mechanism locally. Its new Health Products and Technologies Local Manufacturing Strategy proposes using long-term procurement commitments for locally manufactured products to give health manufacturers the confidence to expand production.
Our take: If African governments honour pooled purchasing commitments, procurement could become the most powerful industrial policy for health manufacturing…Read more (2 min)
Africa generates just about 1% to 4% of the world's clinical data despite carrying one of the highest disease burdens in the continent. Cliff Oguk, a health diagnostics expert, argues that without investing in research and clinical trials, African manufacturers will struggle to build competitive diagnostics and medicines.
“If Africa wants AI systems that can safely and accurately diagnose African patients, it must build the data pipelines that train them. This goes for all medical products. Without African data, patients will be underrepresented in new technologies and treatments in healthcare.” Says Oguk.
Manufacturers need locally generated evidence to develop products and secure regulatory approvals in African markets. He argues that investing in research and trials could create entirely new healthcare markets, including contract research, AI development, diagnostics validation and medicines.
Read the full opinion…Read more (2 min)
We have compiled 37 open mid and senior level roles in nutrition, vaccination, technology, pharma manufacturing and infectious disease control across the continent. East Africa leads with 12 roles, followed by West Africa with 10, southern Africa with eight, North Africa with four and Central Africa with three.
Technical health advisory roles are the most prominent this month, with at least five openings across Africa, including positions at US Pharmacopeia, Nutrition International, Management Sciences for Health, IPPF Africa Region and UNICEF.
The most active recruiters include FHI 360, International Medical Corps, Partners In Health and IQVIA, each with two openings.
Full list…Read more (2 min)
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Oxford Vaccine Group launches the world’s first Phase I clinical trial for a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo ebolavirus
Events
🗓️ Register for the World Congress on Public Health in South Africa (Sept 6)
🗓️ Participate in World Health Expo in Kenya (Sept 16)
🗓️ Join the International Conference on Public Health in Ethiopia (Nov 23)
Various
💉Genomic sequencing strengthens public health in Eritrea
💉Dutch students unveil first solar-powered ambulance for Africa
💉 Biovac vaccine project expected to create jobs in SA
Seen on LinkedIn
Donfelix Ochieng, a health information systems specialist, says, “Africa has launched over 700 digital health tools in the last decade. Most of them are gone. Not because they failed clinically but because nobody built a plan to keep them alive once the donor funding ran out.”