The African Development Fund has approved a US$14.26 million grant to strengthen pharmaceutical regulation, laboratory capacity and health security systems across seven West African countries. The programme will support Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The initiative, approved on June 15, will be implemented through the West African Health Organisation. It aims to improve medicine regulation, strengthen emergency preparedness, expand laboratory networks and support better planning for the health workforce.
A major focus of the programme is helping regulatory authorities in Benin, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone reach Level 3 status under the World Health Organization’s Global Benchmarking Tool. This would improve their ability to oversee the safety, quality and effectiveness of medicines and medical products.
The project will also support laboratory infrastructure across the region. It will equip national medicine quality-control laboratories in The Gambia, establish cross-border One Health laboratories in Benin and Togo, and support the repair and maintenance of biomedical and diagnostic equipment in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The programme comes as West African countries continue to address weaknesses exposed by the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, which revealed major gaps in disease surveillance, laboratory systems and health workforce capacity. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea were among the most affected countries and have since worked to rebuild stronger health systems.
Recent health emergencies have further highlighted the need for stronger regulation and preparedness. Guinea has faced later Ebola and Marburg outbreaks, while The Gambia’s contaminated cough syrup crisis in 2022 renewed attention on medicine safety, laboratory testing and pharmaceutical oversight.
The grant also supports regional efforts to harmonize medicine regulation and improve access to safe medical products. Stronger regulatory systems are expected to reduce delays in medicine quality assessments, support local pharmaceutical manufacturing and help curb the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines.
Beyond medicine regulation and laboratory support, the programme will include studies on diaspora investment in health systems, health labour market assessments and national investment plans for health personnel. Training activities linked to the initiative are expected to create around 300 jobs, with more than 40% targeted for women.
The investment reflects a broader push to strengthen health security, improve medicine safety and build more resilient public health systems across West Africa.
