Building competitive and resilient pharmaceutical value chains through the African continental free trade area

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing crisis have provided an opportunity to learn more about the African pharmaceutical industry. This report is a contribution to greater understanding of the African pharmaceutical industry and the challenges that it faces, most of which are not new but have been highlighted by the crisis. It emphasizes the need to take advantage of the formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area to build resilient value chains in the pharmaceutical sector. This report provides a critical assessment of pharmaceutical trends in Africa, the impact of COVID-19 on pharmaceutical supply chains, the weaknesses and strengths it reveals and options for expanding and developing the pharmaceutical industry in Africa in the context of AfCFTA. Chapter II presents an overview of pharmaceutical trade trends in Africa, highlighting the potential for significant expansion and improvement in tariff structures. Chapter III analyses the impact of COVID-19 on pharmaceutical value chains, drawing upon the findings of recent surveys carried out by the ECA African Trade Policy Centre and International Economics Consulting Ltd. (IEC). Chapter IV describes the impact of COVID-19 on the operations and supply chains management of firms, based on a qualitative survey conducted by the Agence Française de Développement . Chapter V discusses how AfCFTA can be reconfigured to place the pharmaceutical sector at the heart of the Agreement, and chapter VI concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations of the report.