West African institutions advance industrial and pharmaceutical sovereignty

West African regional institutions are advancing strategic initiatives to bolster economic and health sovereignty. In Ouagadougou, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the West African Accreditation System (SOAC) established a roadmap to harmonize industrial standardization through the ‘IMPACT 2030’ plan. This initiative aims to strengthen conformity assessment bodies to meet international competitiveness standards.

Simultaneously, in Lomé, the 21st Scientific and Cultural Assembly of the West African Pharmacy Students Federation (FESPAO) addressed the region's pharmaceutical dependency. Leaders and medical experts advocated for a shift from a distribution-based model to local industrial production, genomic research, and the scientific validation of traditional knowledge to secure the region against future pandemics.