Posted on: Tue 03-11-2026

COMMUNIQUE Issued by delegates of the African Pharmaceutical Distribution Association (APDA) and the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) at the 4th Thematic General Assembly

• Theme: "Advancing Pharmaceutical Distribution in Africa: Building Secure Supply Chains Against Falsified Medicines"
• Venue: Marriott Hotel, Lagos
• Date: October 6-8, 2026

Introduction

Delegates of the African Pharmaceutical Distribution Association (APDA) and the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) convened the 4th Thematic General Assembly at the Marriott Hotel, Lagos, from October 6 to 8, 2026.

The Assembly brought together stakeholders in pharmaceutical distribution to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and demand practical measures for strengthening medicine supply chains across Africa.

The Assembly was attended by representatives from Nigeria, Cameroon, Rwanda, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Morocco, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, among others. The conference and tour of DP World mega distribution company, New Heights Pharma Ltd (one of the leading indigenous distribution wholesale company), and Emzor Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd (a WHO-accredited indigenous manufacturing company) gave participants first-hand insights into manufacturing and distribution in West Africa.

Participants reaffirmed that efficient, transparent, and resilient distribution systems are essential to ensuring patients have timely access to safe, quality-assured, and affordable medicines.

Following deliberations on the conference theme, delegates observed that falsified and substandard medical products remain a serious and growing threat to human lives and the economy of nations. These products endanger public health, undermine confidence in healthcare systems, and expose patients to preventable harm.

Resolutions and Recommendations

The Assembly recommends that:

1. African collaboration should be strengthened among pharmaceutical distributors and relevant stakeholders to develop and implement practical, coordinated measures for securing medicine supply chains across the continent.

2. Regulatory oversight and enforcement should be strengthened, including measures to address porous borders and the cross-border movement of falsified and substandard medical products.

3. African countries should work towards greater harmonisation of pharmaceutical distribution regulations and product registration processes while maintaining safeguards for the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines.

4. Governments should implement proposed National Drug Distribution Guidelines to provide clear and effective policy frameworks for pharmaceutical distribution.

5. Collaboration between regulatory authorities, PWDAN, and other stakeholders should be deepened to improve coordination, efficiency, medicine safety, and quality of service to end users.

6. Modern storage and distribution infrastructure should be prioritised, with facilities and operations meeting appropriate standards and accounting for product source, storage conditions, environmental factors, and destination.

7. Good distribution practices and authorised sourcing should be supported throughout the supply chain. This should include verification of suppliers and customers, qualification of trading partners, and controls to prevent diversion, substitution, theft, and distribution of expired, falsified, or substandard products.

8. Digital traceability should be advanced across the pharmaceutical supply chain, linking product identification, authorised trading partners, custody records, and transaction data. Systems should support secure, timely, and interoperable data exchange among relevant stakeholders.

9. A digital-maturity assessment and improvement programme should be developed for pharmaceutical distributors. PWDAN should support assessment of members' digital readiness, identify capability gaps, and promote best practices.

10. An interoperability initiative should be established involving NAFDAC, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, GS1 Nigeria, manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy groups, and technology providers to test practical methods for exchanging product, transaction, and custody data across systems.

11. Wholesalers should be appropriately integrated into national digital pharmacy and medicine-traceability systems to ensure movement of products through authorised supply-chain participants can be verified.

12. Artificial intelligence and other digital technologies should be deployed responsibly and effectively to support detection, prevention, and reporting of falsified and substandard medicines. Their use should be accompanied by reliable data, clear accountability, and appropriate professional oversight.

13. Digital systems should be designed for interoperability and practical benefit. Stakeholders should review and simplify processes before automating them and assess whether proposed technologies improve availability of quality-assured medicines for patients.

14. Available enforcement measures should be fully activated and supported by appropriate digital tools, including systems for monitoring, tracing, and reporting suspected falsified products throughout the supply chain.

15. A coordinated, risk-based response system should be strengthened for suspected falsified or substandard products. This should enable rapid verification, quarantine, targeted recalls, timely notification of affected stakeholders, enforcement actions, and sharing of lessons from incidents.

16. Supply-chain visibility and resilience should be improved, including access to relevant information on product sources, stock levels, distribution routes, vulnerable points, and alternative supply options.

17. Resilience measures for critical medicines should be advanced, including appropriate diversification of supply sources, demand pooling where feasible, buffer stocks, and support for local manufacturing where it can strengthen supply security.

18. A Distribution Excellence Standard should be developed to promote performance beyond statutory minimums, with measurable indicators covering authorised sourcing, product availability, storage and transportation compliance, recall response times, cybersecurity, and accountability for exceptions.

19. APDA should continue international cooperation on traceability and distributor accountability, including information-sharing mechanisms, cross-border validation of authorised distributors, and common benchmarks for pharmaceutical distribution maturity.

20. The fight against falsified, substandard, and adulterated medicines must be treated as a shared responsibility and a public-security priority, requiring sustained commitment and cooperation from all stakeholders.

Closing

Delegates call on governments, regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical distributors, manufacturers, technology providers, and other stakeholders to translate these recommendations into coordinated action.

A secure, traceable, and resilient pharmaceutical distribution system is essential to protecting patients and strengthening public confidence in healthcare across Africa.

Issued at Lagos on behalf of the delegates of APDA and PWDAN.

Signed: APDA and PWDAN

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