WHO reaffirms support for Africa’s health manufacturing agenda at Africa Forward Summit
Date: 2026-05-14
By: Kanto Kai Okanta
The World Health Organization
Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, has reaffirmed the commitment of
the World Health Organization to supporting Africa’s efforts to strengthen
local pharmaceutical production and build more resilient health systems.
Speaking during the Health
Roundtable at the Africa Forward Summit, Prof. Janabi joined leaders including the President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama and Aziz Akhannouch, alongside development partners and
stakeholders from the health sector.
During the discussions, WHO
outlined its continued support for strengthening regulatory systems across
Africa, including efforts to help countries achieve WHO Maturity Level 3
standards for the regulation of medical products.
The organization also
emphasized the importance of strengthening regional regulatory reliance
systems, workforce development initiatives and market-shaping mechanisms aimed
at supporting sustainable local production of medicines, vaccines and other
health technologies.
According to Prof. Janabi,
Africa’s ambition to expand healthcare manufacturing capacity depends not only
on infrastructure, financing and market access, but also on the availability of
a strong and skilled health workforce.
He noted that WHO remains
committed to working closely with member states and development partners to
strengthen expertise, support sustainable pharmaceutical production and improve
the resilience of healthcare systems across the continent.
The discussions formed part
of broader efforts to advance Africa’s healthcare manufacturing agenda and
reduce dependence on imported medical products while improving health security
and long-term economic resilience.
