‘Pharma West Africa Conference will Strengthen Regional Pharmaceutical Supply Chain’, says Yakasai

Former president of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Society and Founder of Pharmaplus Nigeria Ltd., Ahmed Yakasai, has said that the third Pharma West Africa Conference and Exhibition will strengthen the sub region’s pharmaceutical supply chain and improve production self-sufficiency.

The event, which is scheduled to hold from April 14 to 16, 2026, at Landmark Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, will bring together pharmaceutical industry experts, regulators and Information Technology developers across West Africa.

The event is also expected to highlight key developments happening across the region’s pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs, financing and investment opportunities and the role of regulatory frameworks in strengthening the security of medicines supply.

According to Yakasai, the event’s wide range of exhibitors, regulators and industry experts holds the promise of a strategic meeting point for industry stakeholders across the African sub-region.

“This year’s content will focus on the many ways digital technology and AI can support the sector, from helping manufacturers improve capacity and quality control to how it can strengthen the supply chain, and how it will lead to innovation in drug development, safety and efficacy.

“Central to these discussions will be how this can all be used to benefit patients. For example, one of the sessions will consider the impact of digital transformations, such as e-pharmacy, medication delivery apps and telehealth for patient consultations,” he shared.

Stakeholders at the conference will also examine how improving accessibility to medicines can help make drugs more affordable for patients by encouraging increased local production and greater self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Established in 2024, Pharma West Africa has grown into a major gathering for stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry.

Speakers at the event will include the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, as well as senior directors of regulatory and professional bodies from Nigeria, Gambia, Benin, Cameroon and Sierra Leone.

Entrepreneurs and senior executives from organisations and companies such as Advantage Health Africa, DrugStoc, IntraHub Technologies, JNC International, Peltom Global Services, Purelife Pharmacy, Transcends Pharmaceuticals, HubPharm Africa and Medinomic Healthcare Services are also expected to participate.

The third day of the conference will be hosted by the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria, with discussions on how strengthening the medicines supply chain can help curb the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines while enhancing the integrity of pharmaceutical distribution across the sub-region.