Kenya has renewed its push for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, with Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga calling on African countries to invest in homegrown production of medicines, vaccines and diagnostics to reduce the continent’s heavy reliance on imports.
Speaking during a parallel session on access to medicines, regulatory harmonisation and local and regional manufacturing, Dr. Oluga said Africa’s continued dependence on imported pharmaceuticals is no longer just a health challenge but a governance issue that requires bold political action.
He argued that while the continent now has the institutions and frameworks needed to support local manufacturing, governments must back them with funding, procurement commitments and long-term policy support.
“For far too long, the continent has been using medications manufactured somewhere else, with pricing being set by those same parties. This system is outdated,” remarked Oluga.
The PS outlined the health sector reforms Kenya was undertaking, noting that in 2023 the country passed laws that would serve as the basis for a more robust local pharmaceutical industry.
This included the Social Health Insurance Act, the Digital Health Act and the Primary Health Care Act that would provide for a predictable healthcare market where investments in local manufacturing could be made.
In the opinion of Oluga, the health insurance program will ensure stable demand for medications while the country’s digital health system will provide data regarding the number of medications used. At the same time, the reforms being undertaken at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) would enhance procurement and turn the agency into a reliable purchaser of the locally manufactured goods.
Oluga said that Africa risked being left behind as new technologies continued to emerge in the healthcare sector around the globe.
The Principal Secretary noted that the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the rapid development of advanced biological medicines have exposed the dangers of relying almost entirely on imported pharmaceutical products.
Oluga said Africa should leverage continental initiatives such as the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, the African Medicines Agency and the World Bank’s AIM 2030 programme to create a larger, integrated market for locally produced medicines.
Instead of every nation trying to manufacture all kinds of pharmaceutical products, he called for collaboration and specialization among African countries so that through technology transfer and regional supply chain management, they could help each other out.
“None of the African countries can manufacture what it wants, and it doesn’t have to,” he said, adding that cooperation will make pharmaceutical supply chains in Africa much stronger and more resilient.
Oluga further stated that Kenya has the desire to be one of the major pharmaceutical manufacturing nations in Africa.
He explained that there is already the Kenya BioVax Institute which is tasked with the role of manufacturing vaccines and biological drugs and making Kenya prepared to manufacture diagnostic kits and other drugs internationally recognized.
He urged both African and foreign investors to invest in Kenya’s emerging pharmaceutical industry, noting that the country was ready with everything required for the growth of the industry.
He closed by urging African leaders to go beyond rhetoric and allocate some finances to their domestic pharmaceutical industry.
“The question is no longer whether Africa should manufacture medicines. The real question is whether we are ready to finance it, protect it and hold ourselves accountable for delivering it,” he said.
