Africa CDC calls for increased investment in pharmaceutical production for maternal and child health
ARUSHA: THE Head of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Prof. Diana Nsubuga, has called on African countries to increase investment in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing to help reduce maternal and child deaths.
Speaking on Thursday, October 8, 2026, during a panel discussion on maternal and child health involving parliamentarians from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Prof. Nsubuga said increased investment would help reduce Africa’s dependence on imported essential health products.
She said approximately 70 percent of medicines and other essential health products used in Africa are imported from outside the continent, a situation that can affect the availability of critical healthcare services and supplies, including medicines used to prevent and treat postpartum haemorrhage.
Prof. Nsubuga also noted that inadequate funding for the health sector has affected reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services across the continent.
She called on African countries to increase investment in local production of medicines and medical devices, while strengthening health-sector budgets to improve access to essential healthcare services.
She said strengthening domestic pharmaceutical and medical supply production would help African countries build more resilient health systems and reduce vulnerabilities associated with reliance on external sources for critical medical supplies.
