Southern Africa is taking new steps to strengthen its pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, with regional governments and health partners working with China to expand local production of medicines, diagnostics and other essential health technologies.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), UNAIDS, the Government of China and the Global Health Innovation Institute have agreed to advance cooperation following a strategic exchange that examined pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, biotechnology, genomics and diagnostics in South Africa. The programme included visits to production facilities in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
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The initiative places greater regional manufacturing capacity at the centre of Southern Africa’s health-security ambitions. By developing stronger local production systems, countries in the region can work toward reducing dependence on imported health products while building the skills, investment and industrial capabilities needed to support more resilient healthcare systems.
For Southern Africa, the opportunity extends beyond manufacturing medicines. It involves creating stronger connections between pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, regulators, investors and governments so that health technologies can increasingly be developed, produced and supplied closer to the communities that need them.
The collaboration with China is designed to help connect existing African manufacturing capabilities with technology, expertise, investment and production experience. UNAIDS has previously highlighted local manufacturing as an important element of greater health sovereignty and stronger regional health security.
Among the priorities identified by the partners are technology transfer, skills development and investment. The discussions also focused on developing a regional list of essential HIV and sexual and reproductive health commodities, improving demand forecasting, strengthening pooled procurement and creating more predictable markets for African manufacturers.
These measures could help manufacturers plan production more effectively while strengthening the systems needed to ensure that quality-assured medicines and health products reach people more reliably.
The initiative also places regulatory capacity at the centre of the effort. Strong regulatory systems are needed to support quality-assured pharmaceutical production and enable manufacturers across the region to participate more effectively in regional markets.
Eva Kiwango, Director and Representative of the UNAIDS Office in China, said the exchange was focused on moving from ambition toward practical action, while noting that sustained investment, regulatory alignment, technology transfer and skills development will be important to expanding regional manufacturing.
An official from China’s National Disease Control and Prevention Administration said the collaboration had strengthened mutual understanding and identified opportunities to combine complementary strengths in policy, technology, manufacturing and market development.
For pharmaceutical companies, the growing regional market also presents opportunities for deeper industry partnerships. Xiaoxia An, CEO of Desano Pharmaceutical Group, said the exchange highlighted opportunities to combine manufacturing, innovation and market-development capabilities to strengthen local production and improve access to quality medicines.
The initiative is particularly significant for the HIV response. UNAIDS says more than half of people living with HIV who are not receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment are in sub-Saharan Africa, making reliable access to medicines and health technologies an important regional priority.
The broader objective is therefore not simply to produce more medicines. It is to build a stronger Southern African health ecosystem—one that can develop skills, attract investment, strengthen supply chains and improve access to essential health products.
For the region, the partnership represents another step toward turning pharmaceutical manufacturing potential into sustainable industrial capacity. As Southern African countries deepen cooperation with one another and with international partners, local production can become an increasingly important part of the region’s health security and economic development story.
The effort also reflects a broader South-South cooperation model, connecting African regional capacity with international technology, expertise and investment while keeping the development of local manufacturing at the centre.
For Southern Africa, the vision is increasingly clear: stronger local production, stronger health systems and greater capacity to meet the region’s own health needs.