As countries in West Africa continue to rely heavily on imported medicines and fragile supply chains, experts have called for pharmaceutical sovereignty and urgent financing reforms to strengthen drug security across the region.

The call was made at the third edition of the Pharma West Africa Conference held in Lagos, which brought together policymakers, manufacturers, researchers, investors and health professionals to examine practical strategies for achieving self-sufficiency, resilient supply systems and sustainable access to medicines.

Experts stressed that reducing import dependence would require more than expanding manufacturing capacity, noting that countries must also build financing systems capable of sustaining local production and ensuring predictable procurement.

They said lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted global supply chains and limited access to essential medicines in many African countries, highlight the urgent need for stronger domestic systems.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief Growth Officer at Maisha Meds International, Dr Olamide Okulaja, questioned why Africa still imports over 70 per cent of the medicines it consumes despite having factories, pharmacists and scientific expertise.

He said between 70 and 95 per cent of medicines used across the continent are imported, while 30 to 60 per cent of pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity remains underutilised due to weak demand signals and fragmented procurement systems.

According to him, self-sufficiency is not only a manufacturing challenge but an integration problem involving three interconnected layers: the service layer, where patients seek care, the capital layer, where investments flow, and the production layer, where manufacturers operate.

Okulaja noted that many medicine purchases made through pharmacies and patent medicine vendors remain outside formal health databases, making it difficult for governments and producers to plan supply accurately.

He warned that reliance on donor funding to sustain health systems is declining, as financing for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes flattens while co-financing obligations continue to rise.

Countries, he said, are increasingly expected to take ownership of their systems, yet manufacturers still face uncertain offtake while procurement pipelines remain fragmented.

He explained that manufacturers need predictable systems that can forecast volumes, payment cycles and quality standards, adding that health insurance could serve as a reliable source of structured demand.

“When demand is organised and verified, manufacturers can produce against guaranteed offtake, lenders can support stable cash flows, and pharmacies can stock quality medicines with confidence,” he said.

Okulaja added that governments would then transition from subsidy-driven spending to strategic purchasing, helping to build more sustainable medicine systems.

He identified three critical financing flows required for self-sufficiency: insurance and risk-pooling systems that convert need into demand; affordable credit for pharmacy networks to support compliance and digitisation; and long-term capital for manufacturers to expand production.

Without these systems working together, he warned, pharmaceutical security would remain out of reach. Okulaja further noted that harmonised drug quality standards would unlock pharmaceutical trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area, opening access to a market of 1.3 billion people.

He urged governments to integrate private pharmacy networks into national health insurance schemes, prioritise local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a national security concern, and create ring-fenced budgets that favour locally produced medicines.

Okulaja maintained that West Africa already has the infrastructure, workforce, data and policy tools needed to end medicine import dependence within a decade, if leaders take deliberate steps to integrate them.

Chairman of the Planning Committee and former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasai, said the COVID-19 crisis exposed the risks of overdependence on external supply systems.

He noted that stakeholders had gathered not to dwell on past weaknesses but to build globally competitive industries and resilient systems capable of protecting citizens.

Yakasai added that the conference also focused on ensuring that mothers have access to safe medicines and that children can rely on dependable healthcare systems.

Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Babashehu Ahmed, described efforts to build a resilient and self-reliant pharmaceutical supply chain as timely and essential, given the sector’s strategic role in healthcare delivery across West Africa.

Also speaking, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, called on the pharmaceutical industry to align with government diagnostic policies.

He said that while the state promotes a “test-before-treat” approach, many pharmacies and patent medicine vendors still lack rapid diagnostic tools.

Abayomi urged the industry to embrace diagnostics as the first step in treatment to ensure patients receive appropriate care beyond the routine use of anti-malarials and antibiotics.