Decolonizing Global Health: Africa’s Pursuit of Pharmaceutical Sovereignty

Abstract Background The quest for pharmaceutical sovereignty in Africa is critical to decolonizing global health and addressing disparities and systemic inequities rooted in colonial legacies. This movement highlights the continent's reliance on the Global North for essential medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics, perpetuating health inequities and undermining self-sufficient health systems. Decolonizing global health entails addressing these disparities, advocating for equitable resource allocation, and promoting pharmaceutical sovereignty defined as the capability to research, develop, and manufacture essential medicines locally. Methodology This paper utilized a qualitative document analysis approach to analyze the pursuit of pharmaceutical sovereignty in Africa within the decolonizing global health framework. The review focused on literature, policy papers, and reports from 2019 onwards- a period marked by the establishment of the African Medicines Agency- the review prioritized contributions relevant to Africa’s pharmaceutical sovereignty and global health decolonization efforts. Utilizing databases such as Google Scholar and ProQuest, and guided by keywords such as “Africa”, “Decoloniz*”, “Global Health”, “Manufactur*”, and “Pharmaceutical”, the analysis employed a thematic technique to systematically examine data on the challenges and strategies for achieving pharmaceutical sovereignty. The review period spanned from January to March 2024, deliberately excluding documents outside the African context or predating 2019 that had no foundational importance to the topic. Results The findings highlight pharmaceutical sovereignty as critical for decolonizing global health, with African countries striving toward self-sufficient healthcare economies. However, challenges such as intellectual property rights, regulatory hurdles, historical dependencies, and limited funding persist. Strategic initiatives and partnerships emerged as crucial in overcoming these challenges, with civil society organizations playing a pivotal role in advocating for sovereignty and challenging colonial narratives. Conclusion Pharmaceutical sovereignty in Africa is a pivotal step towards decolonizing global health, challenging the continent’s historical dependency on the Global North. Despite significant challenges, the progress through initiatives like the African Medicines Agency, Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing, and Afya na Haki’s advancing Regional Vaccine Manufacturing and Access in Africa Programme emphasizes the need for continued support and partnerships to enhance the health and well-being of African populations.