The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM) and PATH, AfRX Consulting, and Strategnos, undertook a nine-month (January to September, 2019) study on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess the landscape of health commodity wholesalers and distributors in Africa.
Objective: The primary objective of the study was to understand capabilities of wholesalers/distributors that can partner with governments, pharmaceutical companies, and product developers to increase health care product availability in selected country markets.
Project: The team interviewed 47 pharmaceutical and medical device wholesalers and distributors across the project’s five study countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). The study found private wholesalers/distributors in every country that would make strong partners for the public and donor sectors. Throughout the study the strength, reach and capabilities of the private wholesalers/distributors in each country were directly impacted by the environment in which they were operating a few common themes were identified.
