African health manufacturers meet in Addis Ababa for AHMTEC 2026, focus shifts from building capacity to commercial scale

Manufacturers, suppliers, investors, and policymakers from across the continent will gather at the third African Healthcare Manufacturing Trade Exhibition and Conference (AHMTEC 2026), to be held from 26 to 28 October at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in central Addis Ababa. The 2025 edition in Accra drew 264 participants from 18 countries, including 60 manufacturers. The event is hosted by the Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (FAPMA), Vizuri Health Dynamics, and the Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies Manufacturing Industries Sectorial Association (EPMSMISA), in partnership with Health 4 Development.

Under the theme “Industrialise to Commercialise”, AHMTEC 2026 will focus on moving African pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing beyond capacity building towards production that competes in regional and global markets. Sessions run on two tracks. The first, Industrialise, covers the environment in which manufacturers operate, including policy, regulation, and incentives. The second track, Commercialise, covers the enterprise itself, including operations, portfolio strategy, and market access. Topics include regulatory harmonisation and the African Medicines Agency, pooled procurement, financing and investment readiness, pricing and procurement policy, diagnostics manufacturing, and active pharmaceutical ingredient development. The programme opens on the evening of Monday, 26 October, with a ceremony and welcome reception among the exhibitors. Sessions run on 27 and 28 October. Ann-Marie Hosang-Archer, Chair of the AHMTEC 2026 Secretariat, said the 2026 event builds on the two previous editions. “AHMTEC brings manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, and investors…