The Project Management Unit for the Development of the Local Pharmaceutical Industry (UGP/Pharma), in partnership with AJSPD and ENABEL, organised, on Friday, December 12, an information and orientation day on the revival of the local pharmaceutical industry.

This meeting, which shares strategic initiatives and opportunities related to the public health sector, has the main objective of establishing a framework for constructive exchanges between UGP Pharma and the press.

In his speech, Professor Yérim Mbagnick Diop emphasized that Senegal, as reflected in the 2050 Agenda, has committed to a dynamic of health sovereignty, with the objective of strengthening and modernizing the national pharmaceutical industry. "Our country, through UGP Pharma, has chosen to support, in a structured and coordinated manner, all projects aimed at strengthening and modernizing the national pharmaceutical industry," he stated.

He cited the facilitation and evaluation of project implementation, ensuring the sustainable availability of funding and monitoring the effectiveness of drug production in Senegal as essential axes of the Pharmacy Project Management Unit's mission.

The goal of reviving the local pharmaceutical industry is to cover 50% of national drug needs by 2035. To achieve this goal, UGP Pharma has identified several areas of focus, including local drug production, research and development, and training for healthcare professionals.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to present the progress made in the context of reviving the local pharmaceutical industry, including the mobilization of 326 billion FCFA to finance local pharmaceutical industry development projects.

Recognizing the importance of communication to the success of this program, UGP Pharma has implemented a communication plan focused on exchange and capacity building for media professionals. "Journalists are essential intermediaries for bringing information directly to the public, decision-makers, and all our partners," explained Mr. Diop.

He noted that the AJSPD, an organization founded in 1989, is a key partner in promoting awareness, understanding, and ownership of the Local Pharmaceutical Industry Recovery Plan. "We want to familiarize you more with the objectives, reforms, mechanisms, and ambitions of the recovery plan so that you, in turn, can contribute to better informing, raising awareness, and mobilizing the various target groups," Mr. Diop told the media professionals.

He adds: "As specialist journalists, your ability to analyze, explain and disseminate reliable and accessible information makes you valuable allies. Together, we can build more strategic, inclusive and effective communication to support the transformation of our pharmaceutical industry."

Dr. Jean Marie Dognon, head of the MAV+Enabel project, recalled that Belgium, through Enabel, has been supporting Senegal since the early stages of the recovery, notably through support for Lab Pharma in 2021.

According to him, this commitment is made in a spirit of partnership and co-construction, alongside Senegalese institutions, in particular UGP-Pharma (which ensures the coordination of the project), but also the Senegalese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP) to strengthen the regulatory framework.

This support, which, through the Team Europe MAV+ initiative, is part of the Sunu MAV+ project, funded by the European Union, Germany, France, Belgium and implemented by Enabel, GIZ and Expertise France.

This support from "Team Europe" focuses on several key areas of development for the local pharmaceutical industry. These include pooling expertise to sustainably strengthen Senegal's pharmaceutical capacities, strengthening sector governance, supporting the regulatory framework to guarantee the quality and safety of medicines, research and development, particularly around phytomedicines, human resource training, support for the private sector, and the digitalization of the health product supply chain for better drug availability.

Mr. Dognon emphasized the crucial role of journalists in raising public awareness and the importance of developing the local industry. "The development of the local pharmaceutical industry cannot succeed without good public information, delivered by journalists well-equipped to address these issues," he stated.

Speaking at the event, the president of the Association of Journalists in Health, Population and Development (AJSPD), Eugène Kaly, thanked UGP pharma for organizing this workshop.

"This capacity building is necessary for the AJSPD to revive the local pharmaceutical industry, control medicines and raise awareness about the importance of medicine and the consequences of street drugs which are the cause of many diseases, including kidney diseases," he said.

According to him, AJSPD wants to establish a partnership with UGP Pharma to raise awareness about the importance of the local pharmaceutical industry. "This partnership with the organization would allow us to raise awareness about the importance of the pharmaceutical industry and also to organize awareness campaigns about street drugs, which cause a real public health problem in Senegal."