SADC ministers sign pooled-procurement charter for medicines; Tanzania first to sign

SADC health ministers meeting in Durban, South Africa, ceremonially signed the charter establishing the SADC Pharmaceuticals Pooled Procurement Services (SPPS) on 12 November 2026. The service is intended to let southern African countries buy medicines together and use their combined buying power to lower prices and secure supplies. The United Republic of Tanzania was the first member state to sign the charter.

The four-day meeting ran from 9 to 12 November 2026. It was officially opened on 12 November by South Africa's Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Mathume Joseph Phaahla, who chaired the session. Dr Phaahla urged deeper regional solidarity and domestic health investment, saying: "Our future cannot rest on the goodwill of others alone; it must be built on domestic investment, strong institutions, productive capacity and sustained political commitment."

SADC Executive Secretary Elias M. Magosi also addressed the meeting, which covered HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, public health emergencies, sustainable health financing, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and food and nutrition security. Representatives from WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, Africa CDC and AUDA-NEPAD delivered messages on financing, preparedness and access to essential health services.

What SPPS is and what it could change

SADC describes SPPS as a regional mechanism to strengthen cooperation on pharmaceutical procurement, improve access to affordable, quality-assured medicines and enhance supply-chain security while supporting regional pharmaceutical self-reliance. SADC materials say group contracting under SPPS could reduce medicine costs by up to 40 percent by pooling demand and negotiating as a single buyer.

SPPS builds on technical work already under way: the SADC Medicines Database (SMD) was developed in 2014 and an electronic SPPS platform (eSPPS) was developed by the Medical Stores Department of Tanzania in 2018. An SMD upgrade began in September 2025 with technical and financial support from Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Eight member states have completed in-country assessments and training to prepare for group contracting: Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The SPPS Steering Committee, established in July 2025, and partners including GIZ, UNFPA and Tanzania's Medical Stores Department have overseen the technical design, governance and pilot steps. SADC officials have said the pooled procurement model could be ready for full operational use by the last quarter of 2026.

Why pooled procurement matters for the region

Policy research shows the potential benefit: sub-Saharan Africa imports an estimated 60 to 90 percent of the drugs it consumes and produces only a small share of global medicines, a gap that makes supplies and prices vulnerable to international shocks. Brookings reports that 99 percent of vaccine doses used in Africa are imported and only about 0.1 percent of vaccine production occurs on the continent. Gavi notes Africa produces about 3 percent of global medicines and imports over 95 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Regional pooled procurement is one of the tools SADC officials hope will improve affordability and encourage local production over time.

The ceremonial signing in Durban marks a formal step toward operationalising SPPS as an institution of subsidiarity within SADC (a body to which SADC delegates some authority). Member states now face the task of sharing procurement data, finalising rules and moving to group contracting so the system can begin purchasing jointly as planned.

Newzroom dot Africa has reached out to Medical Stores Department, United Republic of Tanzania and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit for comment and is awaiting a response. This story will be updated when they respond.

Source: SADC