The World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is undertaking a landmark situation analysis on the intersection of digitalization, pharmaceutical production, and private sector cooperation. The activity is implemented by the WHO Headquarters Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI, and Department of Medicines and Health Products Policies and Standards, together with the WHO African Regional Office (AFRO) and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Office (EMRO).
Aligned with the Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020–2027) and the adaptation of Framework for Strengthening Local Production of Medicines on the 74th WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC74) at the WHO AFRO, the situational analysis aims to identify key structural and digital drivers required to scale local pharmaceutical production and support regional health sovereignty.
To inform this situational analysis and have a soft launch of the report, an informal side event is organized by the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), a WHO-hosted network, and the Team Europe Initiative on the AU-EU Health Partnership. The event will take place at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva on Thursday, 21 May from 17:00 – 18:30 CEST during the upcoming 78th session of the World Health Assembly. The event will convene global stakeholders to explore the intersection of digitalization, pharmaceutical production, and public-private cooperation in Africa.
For more information and to register, please visit Pharma 4.0: Strengthening local production of pharmaceuticals and the supply chain systems in Africa through digitalization.
Invitation to participate in the survey
Pharmaceutical manufacturers across Africa are invited to contribute their insights to the situational analysis by responding to this survey by Tuesday, 26 May 2026, 23:59 CEST: https://forms.gle/zPg9UVieXyAGXX749
For more information: gidh@who.int