Africa warned over dangerous dependence on imported medicines

Arusha. African countries have been warned that their dependence on imported medicines and medical supplies is putting health systems at risk.

Prime Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, called for urgent investment in local manufacturing to safeguard access to essential healthcare products during global crises.

Dr Nchemba said the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts and other international disruptions had exposed the vulnerability of countries that depend on foreign markets for medicines and medical equipment.

He said Africa must treat the experience as a wake-up call and move away from excessive reliance on aid and imported health commodities by building domestic production capacity and mobilising local resources.

“This should be a lesson for African countries that we now need to move away from excessive dependence on aid, build our own capacity and rely more on our own resources to achieve our national health goals,” he said.