International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Duopharm set to help Senegal move towards pharmaceutical sovereignty with new drug manufacturing facility
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank, and Duopharm, a drug distribution company, have signed a partnership to set up a drug manufacturing unit in Senegal, which will aim at reducing imports to less than 50% by 2035.
The IFC will support Duopharm SA in terms of skills and expertise in different areas such as market research, factory design, and global visibility on good drug manufacturing practices.
“This partnership makes it possible to meet the challenge of producing medicines in Senegal because the country still depends on the importation of medicines”, Olivier Buyoya – Managing Director of IFC West Africa stated at the signing ceremony.
He added: “The country imports 90% of the medicines it consumes. The Covid-19 pandemic reminded us that pharmaceutical sovereignty is necessary. The IFC’s objective is that by 2035 the country imports less than 50% of the medicines it consumes.”
Buyoya believes that achieving the objective of pharmaceutical sovereignty requires the active involvement of both public authorities and stakeholders.
And according to Dr Jules Kébé, Director of Duopharm SA: “this partnership is very important for the country’s pharmacists because it allows us to move towards pharmaceutical sovereignty…it is an opportunity to provide Senegal with quality medicines.”
“If we do not respond to the demand for medicines which will explode in the years, due to the increase in population. The importation of almost all of our medicines will no longer be able to continue,” he added:
Duopharm is a pharmaceutical wholesale distributor based in Senegal.
Dr Kébé believes that it is important to work closely with an international institution such as the IFC, in finding solutions to the question of pharmaceutical sovereignty.
“It is key to promote local production of medicines in order to have pharmaceutical sovereignty. The drugs that will be produced locally will perfectly match the needs of the population and health practitioners,” he opined.
