Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga has held talks with the French Development Agency (AFD) on strengthening Kenya’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, digital health and medical innovation.
The meeting took place at Afya House, where Dr Oluga hosted an AFD delegation led by its Country Director for Kenya, Ms Anne-Gaëlle Chapius, during a courtesy call.
Discussions centred on expanding support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing through technical assistance, capacity building and strategic investments to increase the production of quality medicines and other essential health products.
The partnership also seeks to improve access to essential medicines while positioning Kenya as a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The talks come ahead of the Extraordinary Summit on Local Manufacturing of Health Products and Technologies, which Kenya is expected to host. The summit will bring together African leaders to explore ways of strengthening domestic production of medicines, vaccines and other essential health commodities.
Dr Oluga and the delegation also explored opportunities for collaboration in digital health and artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in improving healthcare delivery, strengthening health data utilisation and accelerating ongoing health sector reforms.
Dr Oluga reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with development partners to build a resilient, innovative and self-reliant healthcare system capable of supporting Universal Health Coverage (UHC) while contributing to economic growth.
The meeting was also attended by Dr Jean-Emmanuel Julo-Reminiac from the French Embassy and Dr Nailla Ganatra, Director of Health Products and Technologies at the Ministry of Health.
