In a recent summit themed “Unlocking Access, Transforming Lives,” global healthcare leaders convened to address systemic barriers and explore solutions for equitable access to medicines. The discussions underscored an urgent reality: Africa’s health supply chains must be transformed to meet the needs of over 1.5 billion people across the continent. Further, as global donor priorities shift, Africa faces an unprecedented challenge; how to build resilient, patient-centered, sustainable health systems and supply chains that are not predominantly dependent on external funding.
The Changing Landscape of Health Supply Chains
Historically, public health systems in sub-Saharan Africa have relied heavily on international donors to finance public health priority medicines, vaccines, and medical infrastructure. Yet, recent policy shifts, including foreign aid freezes, revised donor commitments, and geopolitical uncertainties, threaten the financing of these supplies and thus consistency of product availability. This shifting landscape presents both a crisis and an opportunity: Africa must seize this moment to strengthen its supply chain systems to ensure long-term resilience and sustainability.
The Way Forward: Transforming Africa’s Health Supply Chains
Dismantle, Disrupt, and Rebuild Supply Chain Systems
As Yasmin Chandani, CEO of inSupply Health, emphasized at the summit, achieving equitable health access requires intentional efforts to dismantle inefficiencies, disrupt traditional models, and rebuild supply chains to be patient-centered and resilient. This involves: streamlining procurement processes to reduce inefficiencies; strengthening local production of medicines and supplies; and leveraging technology and data for smarter supply chains, including enhancing robust methods and tools for demand and supply planning, creating agile, data-driven supply chains that respond to real-time demand
The future of Africa’s health supply chain lies in embracing digital solutions. Innovations such as AI-driven forecasting for demand planning, blockchain technology for tracking medicine authenticity, and real-time inventory management systems will be instrumental in preventing shortages and overstocking. Additionally, optimizing the health workforce and leveraging data-driven insights will be critical in ensuring that essential medicines reach patients efficiently and on time.
Strengthening public-private partnerships is another key strategy for transforming Africa’s health supply chains. Deeper collaboration between governments, private sector players, and global health organizations can significantly enhance logistical capacity, leading to more efficient medicine distribution.
A key takeaway from the summit was the urgent need to accelerate local production of medical supplies and medicines. Currently, Africa imports nearly 70% of its pharmaceutical products, making the continent heavily dependent on external suppliers. Investing in local pharmaceutical production through policy incentives, targeted financing mechanisms, and harmonized regulatory frameworks can support local manufacturers and streamline approval processes. These efforts will not only strengthen Africa’s supply chain resilience but also ensure that medicines and medical supplies are more readily available to the populations that need them.
As donor priorities shift, African nations must rethink their approach to healthcare financing. Blended financing—integrating government funds, private sector investments, and innovative financial instruments such as health bonds—can provide sustainable resources to support health supply chains. Additionally, governments should explore pooled procurement at regional levels to leverage economies of scale, reducing costs and improving supply chain efficiency across the continent.
Our Contribution
inSupply Health is an East African health advisory firm that designs people-centered, scalable, and sustainable supply chain solutions. We focus on optimizing data visibility and use, workforce development, and continuous performance improvement. Our key offerings include:
Supply Chain Transformation: Designing and optimizing efficient, patient-centered supply chains through demand planning, system design, and forecasting.
Market Access and Shaping: Facilitating partnerships, policy shaping, and market entry to improve access to quality health products.
Data Transformation and Intelligence: Leveraging real-time data, AI, and analytics to enhance decision-making and supply chain performance.
Workforce Optimization: Building capacity through training, coaching, and leadership development to drive continuous improvement.
By leveraging these offerings, inSupply Health contributes to improving access to health commodities and enhancing health supply chain management across Africa.
Learnings from the Access Summit: Why Now?
Africa cannot afford to wait. The disruptions caused by COVID-19, recent donor policy shifts, and ongoing supply chain vulnerabilities underscore the urgency of action. As Caroline Kariuki, Director in the Office of the President’s Advisor on Women’s Rights, stated at the summit, “Healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege.” Ensuring stable and efficient supply chains is key to fulfilling this right for all Africans.
The Call to Action
The solutions are clear. By intentionally redesigning supply chain systems, embracing innovation, and fostering cross-sector collaborations, Africa can build a future where access to medicines and healthcare services is reliable and equitable.
