President John Dramani Mahama has challenged African pharmaceutical companies and industrial investors to move beyond basic packaging and fill-and-finish operations towards the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients on the continent.

Addressing the Health Plenary of the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt, President Mahama said Africa’s ambition to achieve health sovereignty would remain incomplete if the continent continued to depend on external markets for the critical ingredients required to manufacture medicines.

He said African governments, industrialists and investors needed to develop strategic partnerships capable of building deeper manufacturing capabilities, including research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical engineering and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) synthesis. “

What strategic partnerships do we need to move from basic packaging and fill-and-finish operations to full Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) synthesis on African soil?” he asked.

The President said deeper local production would strengthen the continent’s resilience to international supply disruptions while creating opportunities for industrialisation and high-value employment.

He argued that Africa’s large and growing population, combined with increasing demand for medicines and chronic disease treatment, provided a substantial market for investors willing to develop manufacturing capacity.

President Mahama therefore urged industrial leaders, commercial banks, institutional investors and sovereign funds to participate in building a stronger African pharmaceutical ecosystem.

He said governments must work alongside private capital to provide the financing, infrastructure and regulatory environment needed to support large-scale production.

“Let us build factories, integrate supply chains, fund innovators, and secure our citizens’ future,” he said.