This is the first article in PtD's thought leadership series - disussing topics that matter to the health supply chain community.
For decades, Africa’s public health supply chains have relied heavily on parallel systems supported by international donors. However, a quiet revolution is underway, driven by African leadership, local innovation and a shift towards sovereign-led transformation. As development assistance evolves and global shocks test the resilience of health systems, African countries are demonstrating their ability to shape the future of their health supply chains.
Africa began its move away from donor dependency long ago
The future of health supply chains in Africa is no longer a question of donor dependency; it is instead a question of strategic investment in local capabilities. In 2024, the Ministry of Health in Ghana increased its domestic budget allocation for supply-chain operations by 15 percent, financing local warehousing upgrades without external grants.Similarly, following Zambia’s malaria reforms, through which it strengthened last-mile delivery, the country’s health supply chain slashed related stockouts by 70 percent and saw a 40 percent decline in malaria mortality. These results were the result of public institutions taking ownership. Ghana has already committed 60 percent of its health supply chain budget for the next three years while Zambia has integrated donor-funded programmes into national systems. Beyond financing, reforms have prioritised governance, workforce training and data-driven decision-making.
The supply chain management workforce: The unseen backbone
Human capital is central to medicines access. Rwanda’s partnership with Partners in Health established a regional supply chain academy, training 1,200 managers in inventory management and crisis response. Ethiopia’s Supply Chain Leadership Initiative embedded mentorship programmes, resulting in a 25 percent improvement in procurement efficiency. Such investments enable systems to anticipate shocks from pandemics to climate disruptions.
Countries now prioritise professional supply chain roles, like chief supply chain officers, to harmonise donor aid with national strategies.
Countries should prioritise supply chain leadership
Supply‐chain professionals across Africa are not just implementing policies; they are designing and leading system‐wide change. Investments in workforce development, such as those championed by the People that Deliver coalition, are creating the foundations of supply chains that can anticipate and respond to crises, ranging from disease outbreaks to climate disruptions.
To future‐proof supply systems, continued emphasis must be placed on developing local leadership and specialised skills. African countries will need strong chief supply chain officers at the national level who are capable of aligning donor contributions, national strategies and cross‐sectoral investments. Several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda and Togo, have already embedded modules from the Strategic Training Executive Programme (STEP 2.0), a professional development programme that builds leadership and technical skills among public health supply chain managers, into their health ministry training programmes. Participants from these countries have reported accelerated procurement cycles and tighter stakeholder coordination.
Africa is solving its own problems
Innovation is flourishing, not as a luxury but as a necessity. African supply chain actors are deploying drones to deliver vaccines, creating mobile tracking systems to monitor inventory and establishing flexible, low-cost manufacturing closer to the point of care. These initiatives are not pilots for show; they are proof of Africa’s ability to leapfrog traditional models by solving problems from within.
As emphasised by the 2040 Global Procurement Vision, understanding technology readiness and investing in interoperable digital tools is essential. Africa’s innovators are already demonstrating how context-aware solutions can enhance equity, transparency and last-mile delivery, often surpassing imported tools.
Artificial intelligence: Kenya’s example of what’s working
A powerful example of this progress is Kenya’s proactive embrace of artificial intelligence (AI). Recognising that the future of development, including supply chain resilience, will rely heavily on technology, Kenya has positioned itself as a regional leader in digital transformation. Dubbed the Silicon Savannah, Kenya has built a thriving tech ecosystem and is using AI to support predictive forecasting, track-and-trace systems and smart decision-making in supply chain operations. Kenya’s AI strategy underscores its commitment to leverage local talent, drive inclusive innovation, and ensure ethical and equitable AI use in public services. This provides a glimpse of what getting it right looks like.
Global partners still have a role to play
For donors and global health partners, the message is clear: support must evolve. Instead of implementing vertical programmes, partners should co-invest in creating systems that align with national strategies, enhance governance and integrate procurement and supply systems into public financial management frameworks.
Risk-informed scenario planning, inclusive policy design and transparent investment strategies called for in global dialogue by WHO, the Global Fund, Gavi, the World Bank and OECD, must be locally led to be effective. Global stakeholders should support this by funding long-term capacity and by stress-testing strategies alongside national actors.
Local ownership means global resilience
Africa’s health future will be secured by its own people, systems and innovations. The challenge now is to scale what works—integrated supply chains, capable leadership, digital solutions and sustainable financing. What began as a quiet shift is rapidly evolving into a continent-wide movement.
The global community – donors, multilateral agencies like WHO, the Global Fund, Gavi, UNICEF and international technical partners – is listening and aligned their support with Africa’s priorities. Especially now, we need to carry on co-investing in country-led systems, fund more regional training and innovation hubs, continue to embed supply chain functions within public financial management and support the expansion of proven digital and leadership models like STEP 2.0.
Works Cited
Ghana Health Supply Chain Master Plan 2025–2029. (n.d.). Files and. Retrieved from Ministry of Health Ghana: https://www.moh.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana_HSCMP_2025-2029_Final-Print-Version_17January2025.pdf?
ICT Kenya. (2025, March). Retrieved from Kenya National AI strategy: https://ict.go.ke/sites/default/files/2025-03/Kenya%20AI%20Strategy%202025%20-%202030.pdf
National Intelligence Council. (2021, 03). Files. Retrieved from Office of the Director of National Intelligence: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf?
People That Deliver. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.peoplethatdeliver.org/
PMC. (2022, Oct 12). Retrieved from The impacts of donor transitions on health systems in middle-income countries: a scoping review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9558870/?
PSA LTD. (2025, March 13). Blog. Retrieved from Pamela Steele Associates: https://www.pamsteele.org/blog-articles/the-shift-to-integrated-supply-chains-in-global-health/?
World Bank Group Report. (2012, 06 18). Research and Publications. Retrieved from World Bank Group: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/674561468180864845/zambia-reducing-inefficiencies-in-the-antimalarial-supply-chain?
