“Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries are considering stronger regional pharmaceutical manufacturing and collective purchasing arrangements to reduce dependence on overseas medicine suppliers and improve the availability of essential treatments. The discussions taking place in Durban under South Africa’s regional chairship come amid continuing medicine shortages and growing concerns about the vulnerability of international pharmaceutical supply chains.”
SADC Countries Move to Strengthen Local Medicine Production as South Africa Hosts Regional Health Talks
Southern African countries are intensifying efforts to strengthen pharmaceutical manufacturing and improve access to essential medicines as regional health officials gather in Durban to discuss strategies for reducing dependence on international suppliers. The discussions form part of the Joint Meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of Health and Ministers Responsible for HIV/AIDS, taking place from 9 to 13 November 2026.
The initiative represents an important development in regional healthcare cooperation, particularly as governments confront medicine shortages, international supply-chain disruptions and increasing pressure on healthcare budgets. South Africa, which currently holds the SADC chairship, is hosting the discussions involving representatives from the organisation’s 16 member states.
Regional medicine production becomes a strategic priority
A central issue on the meeting’s agenda is expanding local and regional pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. Governments are examining opportunities to produce more medicines, vaccines, diagnostic products and other essential healthcare commodities within Southern Africa.
According to SABC News, South Africa’s National Department of Health Director-General, Dr Thembisile Xulu, highlighted the importance of developing empowered local suppliers with the technical expertise and production capacity needed to serve regional markets.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in international pharmaceutical supply systems. During the emergency, countries with limited manufacturing capacity faced difficulties securing medicines, vaccines and other medical supplies when global demand increased sharply.
Consequently, governments across Africa have increasingly recognised pharmaceutical production as an important component of national and regional health security.
The Durban discussions are therefore intended to strengthen cooperation between governments, manufacturers, pharmaceutical suppliers and healthcare institutions.
Dependence on imported medicines creates vulnerabilities
Many African countries depend heavily on pharmaceutical imports to meet domestic healthcare requirements. Central News reported that more than 70% of medicines consumed across Africa are imported, primarily from manufacturing centres in Asia.
This dependence creates several challenges.
First, international transportation disruptions can delay essential medicines. Second, geopolitical tensions can affect manufacturing, distribution and the movement of pharmaceutical products across borders.
Third, fluctuations in international prices can place additional pressure on healthcare budgets.
These challenges affect the ability of governments to provide consistent treatment for patients with chronic illnesses, infectious diseases and other medical conditions.
Strengthening regional manufacturing could help address some of these vulnerabilities by creating additional supply sources closer to the communities that need medicines.
However, increasing production capacity requires substantial investment, technical expertise, reliable electricity, quality-control systems and skilled pharmaceutical workers.
Regional governments must therefore ensure that manufacturing initiatives are supported by sustainable investment and effective regulatory oversight.
Collective purchasing could improve medicine affordability
Another important priority is advancing the SADC Pharmaceutical Pooled Procurement Services initiative.
The mechanism is designed to allow participating countries to combine their medicine requirements and negotiate purchases collectively.
Rather than individual countries purchasing relatively small quantities independently, pooled procurement can create larger purchasing volumes and potentially improve negotiating power with pharmaceutical manufacturers.
According to reports from the Durban meeting, the initiative could improve price comparisons, supply reliability and access to essential medicines.
The approach also has the potential to encourage pharmaceutical companies to invest in regional manufacturing by creating more predictable demand.
Central News reported that the pooled procurement mechanism could reduce medicine purchasing costs by as much as 40% in certain circumstances. However, such savings are not guaranteed for every medicine or purchasing arrangement.
Actual benefits will depend on procurement agreements, product availability, supplier competition and the successful implementation of regional purchasing systems.
The important question is whether governments can transform the procurement initiative into practical agreements that deliver affordable medicines to hospitals and clinics.
South Africa faces its own medicine supply challenges
The regional discussions are particularly significant for South Africa because the country’s public healthcare system has experienced serious medicine shortages.
A Business Day investigation published on 5 November reported that more than one in seven medicines on the National Department of Health’s master products list were facing supply difficulties.
The report identified shortages affecting several treatment categories, including oncology, psychiatric medicine, HIV treatment and medicines for noncommunicable diseases.
The national health department attributed some shortages to manufacturing problems, regulatory compliance issues and disruptions affecting pharmaceutical suppliers.
Other challenges include delayed payments to suppliers, procurement difficulties and international supply-chain pressures.
These problems demonstrate why medicine availability requires more than purchasing decisions. Reliable manufacturing, financial management, distribution systems and regulatory oversight must operate together.
Regional pharmaceutical cooperation could potentially provide additional supply options, although it cannot immediately resolve every domestic procurement or distribution problem.
Psychiatric patients among those affected
Medicine shortages have raised particular concerns about patients receiving treatment for severe mental illnesses.
The South African Society of Psychiatrists has reported difficulties obtaining medicines used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
The National Department of Health’s shortage information has also identified medicines used for diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular conditions and other chronic illnesses.
The National newspaper reported on 10 November that psychiatric medicine shortages were affecting several provinces, including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.
Psychiatrists have warned that changing established treatment unnecessarily can expose patients to adverse effects or destabilise conditions that were previously controlled.
For patients who cannot afford private pharmacy purchases, public-sector medicine shortages can create additional financial and medical difficulties.
This makes reliable pharmaceutical supply an important component of continuity of care.
Manufacturing requires strong regulatory safeguards
Increasing regional pharmaceutical production must also involve stringent quality assurance.
Medicines manufactured locally or imported from international suppliers must meet appropriate safety, quality and efficacy requirements.
South Africa’s pharmaceutical regulatory authority, SAHPRA, plays an important role in evaluating medicines and overseeing relevant manufacturing and regulatory processes.
Expanding production without adequate regulatory capacity could create risks involving poor-quality medicines, inconsistent manufacturing standards and inadequate product monitoring.
Therefore, regional cooperation must include regulatory harmonisation, technical training and information sharing among pharmaceutical authorities.
Manufacturers will also require access to qualified personnel, modern laboratory facilities and appropriate production technologies.
These requirements make pharmaceutical manufacturing a long-term industrial and healthcare investment rather than a simple response to immediate medicine shortages.
Regional cooperation could strengthen HIV and tuberculosis programmes
The Durban meeting also addresses HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other major health priorities.
SADC countries share significant disease burdens and face common challenges involving prevention, treatment access, healthcare financing and continuity of essential services.
Regional cooperation can help governments coordinate procurement, share technical expertise and improve the availability of medicines needed for long-term treatment programmes.
The meeting also includes discussions concerning the sustainability of HIV programmes amid declining external development assistance.
This is particularly important because interruption of essential treatment can have serious consequences for patients and public health.
Governments must therefore consider how domestic financing, regional purchasing and local manufacturing can support sustainable access to medicines.
The importance of technology transfer
One of the major opportunities associated with regional pharmaceutical production is technology transfer.
Technology transfer enables manufacturers to acquire technical knowledge, production methods and manufacturing expertise needed to produce pharmaceutical products according to appropriate standards.
For Southern Africa, this could support the development of more sophisticated pharmaceutical industries while creating employment opportunities for scientists, engineers, pharmacists and manufacturing specialists.
However, technology transfer requires partnerships, investment and adequate protection of intellectual property.
Manufacturers must also demonstrate that they can consistently produce quality medicines in sufficient quantities to meet contractual requirements.
Regional production should therefore be accompanied by transparent procurement processes and realistic assessments of manufacturing capacity.
From policy discussions to practical implementation
The Durban meeting provides an opportunity for governments to establish a stronger framework for regional pharmaceutical cooperation.
Nevertheless, discussions and policy commitments must ultimately translate into measurable improvements in medicine availability.
Important implementation questions include which medicines will initially be included in pooled procurement arrangements, how participating governments will finance purchases and which manufacturers will supply products.
Governments must also establish clear timelines for implementing agreements and monitoring their performance.
Public reporting will be important for determining whether procurement initiatives actually reduce shortages and improve affordability.
The success of pharmaceutical manufacturing initiatives should similarly be assessed through production capacity, product quality, delivery reliability and the proportion of regional demand met by local manufacturers.
Outlook for Southern African healthcare
The movement towards regional pharmaceutical manufacturing and collective purchasing represents a potentially significant opportunity for Southern African healthcare systems.
By combining purchasing power, developing local production capacity and strengthening regulatory cooperation, SADC countries could improve their resilience against international supply disruptions.
For South Africa, the discussions also highlight the importance of addressing domestic procurement weaknesses while supporting regional health cooperation.
The immediate priority remains ensuring that patients receive the medicines prescribed by their healthcare professionals without unnecessary interruptions.
As the Durban meeting continues through 13 November, governments are expected to advance discussions on pharmaceutical production, health financing, HIV/AIDS, malaria and regional health security.
The long-term significance of the meeting will depend on the implementation of its commitments.
Ultimately, stronger pharmaceutical cooperation must deliver practical benefits: more dependable medicine supplies, affordable treatment, improved healthcare access and greater resilience across Southern Africa.
The central challenge is turning regional cooperation into reliable medicine access for millions of patients who depend on essential healthcare services every day.
