Monday 14 February, 11:30-13:00 CET

This online workshop will take place on the slide lines of the EU-Africa Business Forum 2022, offering the opportunity to further explore how pharmaceutical productive capacities in Africa can be fostered.

The panel will include private sector representatives and policy makers from Africa and Europe and will build on insights generated to date (e.g. through the African led initiatives, and European Commission undertakings such as its on-going dialogue with the R&D based pharmaceutical industry). It will explore solutions for critical pharmaceutical development requirements such as access to finance, availability of skills and the need for strong regulatory oversight. It will seek to identify what is required from a conducive environment within which the private sector can deliver, and will provide recommendations on how this can be achieved.

 
Main questions to be addressed:

• What needs to be addressed to accelerate Africa’s drive to strengthen its pharmaceutical industry? What are the main bottlenecks observed, how do these vary across industry sectors, and what is required to resolve them?
• How can EU industry and public authorities help foster the development of local pharmaceutical production in Africa, build capacity and support the evolution of a conducive business environment?
• Which approaches have proven successful in driving high-quality production of essential medicines and vaccines in Africa and which less so? What are the lessons that can be learned and how can market based solutions be harnessed to drive sustainable progress?
• How can business partnerships between Africa and Europe in the pharmaceutical sector be promoted as a basis for technology transfer and to drive innovation for Africa's health priorities?

Structure of session

Panellists will be invited to provide brief introductory comments. These will be followed by a moderated discussion which, time permitting, will incorporate comments and questions from the audience.

Speakers

• Commissioner Thierry Breton (TBC)
• Margaret Ndomondo-Sigonda (AUDA-NEPAD)
• Kristin Schreiber  (DG GROW F)
• Gabriella Fesus (DG INTPA G)
• Emmanuel Mujuru (Plus Five & FAPMA/SAGMA)
• Patrick Tipoo (Biovac & AVMI)
• Sibilia Quilici (Vaccines Europe)
• Karim Bendhaou (Merck Group, Chair IFPMA Africa Engagement Committee)