UNCTAD Secretary General Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Ms. Fatima Acyl, and Drs. Cleopa Mailu and Rob Davies, respectively Cabinet Secretary of the Health Ministry in Kenya and South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry signed the Nairobi Statement on Investment in Access to Medicines at a meeting of the World Investment Forum, held in the context of the fourteenth UNCTAD ministerial in Nairobi, Kenya this week.
The joint statement affirms the signatories' commitment to facilitate investment in local pharmaceutical production in Africa, particularly for the manufacture of antiretroviral medicines, in support of SDG 3 (which targets providing access to essential medicines for all), SDG 9 (to advance innovation and domestic technology development) and SDG 17 (to foster international cooperation and policy coherence). Its signing concluded a high-level lunch discussion organized by UNCTAD, UNAIDS, the African Union Commission and the German Development Cooperation organization (GIZ).
In an exchange of views among senior policy makers, local pharmaceutical producers and foreign investors, there was agreement that local production can improve access to medicines in African countries, but more investment is needed to support domestic manufacturers. James Zhan, Director of the Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD, underlined the importance of ensuring coherence among domestic policies related to investment, trade, intellectual property and health.
Local producers pointed out their difficulties in accessing credit needed to meet international quality standards for medicines. Foreign investors could play an important role in that regard, but require a stable and predictable regulatory framework. Given an appropriate level of domestic government support, African producers are confident that they can produce good quality medicines at affordable and competitive prices.
