BSMA AFRICA CELEBRATES

LEARNING, SHARING & NETWORKING IN ITS MISSION

TO BUILD THE HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN OF AFRICA!

Kigali, Rwanda, November 29, 2022. The global community of supply chain professions assembled at the inaugural BSMA Africa Summit in Kigali over October 31 - November 1 and reaffirmed their commitment to build the supply chain of Healthcare for the African Union. The Mission of BSMA Africa was advanced by the Minister of Health of Rwanda, Wallonia Export & Investment Agency, Partners In Health, Rwanda Convention Bureau, Rwanda Development Board, and ten universities from across the world.

Dr. Daniel M. Ngamije, the Patron of BSMA Africa Summit, was honored as the “Beacon of Healthcare in the African Union” for delivering integrated, community-based healthcare for all with affordability and equity in mind. The ambassador of Belgium in Rwanda, Bert Versmessen, helped build the foundation for the Summit. Suppliers and technology enablers enhanced the robustness of the ecosystem.

Devendra Mishra, the Executive Director of BSMA, observed, “The 200 plus participants of the Summit committed to build the supply chain required to provide access to world-class healthcare to the 1.4 billion people of the continent where Rwanda serves as a hub for like-minded missionaries. The 1st Edition of the Summit is the first step in a long journey to achieving health security. A Call to Action was made by the BSMA congregation of enterprises dedicated to the grassroots development of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, enablement of a drug development ecosystem, building the supply chain infrastructure required, providing education to support the evolving economy, and the deployment of technology to trigger a quantum leap of progress to make Africa self-reliant.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMIT

GOVERNMENT POLICY & INITIATIVES

Dr Corneille Ntihabose, Head of Clinical and Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, highlighted how Rwanda has achieved great improvements in several key health indicators, including maternal mortality and other health outcomes. By investing in health systems and universal health insurance, the government of Rwanda has improved its citizens' life expectancy and expanded access to healthcare. As a result, the country has climbed to 11th out of 51 African countries in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals aimed at improving health, as well as fighting poverty, protecting the environment and reducing inequality.
Janet Byaruhanga (Senior Program Officer, Public Health, AUD-NEPAD) presented strategic considerations for overcoming the impediments facing the execution of the PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING PLAN (PMPA) of the African Union
On the Rwanda front, Pie Harerimana (CEO, Rwanda Medical Supplies) presented the LIFELINE OF RWANDA’S HEALTHCARE
Inès Buki (Rwanda Country Director, USAID Global Health Supply Chain Management Project, CHEMONICS) focused on PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY MANAGEMENT (GHSC-PSM).
Azuka Okeke (CEO, ARC_ESM, Nigeria) presented how the Government of Nigeria is facilitating the transformation of Nigeria’s health supply chain system from being primarily donor-driven to becoming a business enterprise through the proactive engagement of the Corporate Private Sector.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Country experts proposed a MOONSHOT Collaboration - Inès Buki (Chemonics), Azuka Okeke (AR _SC), and Eric Santkin (Trade and Investment Commissioner, Belgium).
Dr. Abdul Samed Muntaka (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology) set the foundation for the Conference with STATE OF THE UNION for Supply Chain of Healthcare and a Gameplan for the Continent.

LOCAL BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING

African BIO-MANUFACTURE OF DRUGS, VACCINES & DIAGNOSTICS was showcased by Stavros Nicolaou (Group Senior Executive, Strategic Trade Development, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Aspen Pharmacare), Hala Audi (CEO, Umizima) and Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Diagne (Head of Operations, diaTROPIX, Institut Pasteur de Dakar) and Franck Toussaint (Managing Director, BSMA Europe).
Dr. Nico Vandaele (Professor, OR & OM, KU LEUVEN) analyzed the regional necessity & insufficiency of vaccine supply for sustainable health outcomes.THE

DRUG DEVELOPMENT & CLINICAL TRIALS

The inevitable question, “How Can Africa Become A Clinical Trials Powerhouse?”, was comprehensively answered by a panel of experts - Dr. Nadine Rujeni (Associate Professor of Parasitology, National University of Rwanda), Dr. Leon Mutesa (Professor, Human Genetics, Director of Center for Human Genetics, College of Medicines & Health, University of Rwanda), Rob van den Bergh (Managing Director, Oximio Kenya), Dr. Charlene Ludick (Business Development Manager, Fisher Clinical Services RSA), and Dr. Fredrick Kateera (Chief Medical Officer, Partners in Health).
The challenge of combating infectious diseases was augmented by Dr. Nadine Rujeni (Associate Professor of Parasitology, National University of Rwanda) and Dr. Maurice Demanou (Consultant, Yellow Fever Regional Laboratory Coordinator for Africa, WHO).

TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS

Elimination of the bottlenecks of airports and air transport were dealt with by Frank Van Gelder (Secretary General, Pharma.Aero), Samuel Speltdoorn (Brussels Airport Company), Don Taylor (GOBI Technologies), Solange Nisingizwe (CEO, Africa World Cargo), Fatsani Banda (Global Health Corps. And Procurement Coordinator, Partners In Health) and Joe Khalani (Pharmacist, Regional Medical Stores, Ministry of Health, Malawi).
Management of the cold chain requirements was addressed by a panel of experts - Dr. Donald Taylor (Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies, California State University), Olivier DeFawe (Director, Private Sector Engagement Lead, Village Reach); and Phil Maxson (CEO, Global Cold Chain Logistics Services).

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

A panel consisting of Mathieu Rwiyereka (CEO, RSwitch), Uday Ulhe (Consultant, Univercells), and Dr. Randy Bradley (Associate Professor, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee) made a case of how digital transformation will launch an exponential trajectory of progress in delivery of healthcare.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Dr. David Asamoah (Head of the Department of Supply Chain Management & Information Systems, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology) demonstrated HOW TO PRODUCE HOLISTIC SCM LEADERS FOR COUNTRIES OF AFRICA & THE WORLD.
Dr. Randy Bradley (Associate Professor, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee) presented the JOURNEY OF A UNIVERSITY TO BE RECOGNIZED AS GARTNER’S BEST GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR SCM IN THE USA FOR 2022.
At the end of the Conference, a THINK TANK - Supply Chain Management Africa (SCMA) - was born at the BSMA Summit with the founding members being Dr. Randy Bradley (Associate Professor, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee), Dr. Nico Vandaele (Professor, Operations Research & Operations Management, KU LEUVEN), Dr. David Poohe (Associate Professor, Business Management, University of Johannesburg), Dr. Adegoke Oke (Professor, Supply Chain Management, W.P. Carey School of Business & Thunderbird School of Management, Arizona State University), Dr. Nadine Rujeni (Associate Professor of Parasitology, National University of Rwanda), Dr. Abebe Bekele (Dean, School of Medicine, and Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity) and Dr. David Asamoah (Head of the Department of Supply Chain Management & Information Systems , Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology).

WHAT DID THE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY?

"It was indeed an honor to be at the conference and having the opportunity to share a thought. I am very grateful to you and the entire BSMA team for the opportunity. I think the formation of the group is wonderful and a great starting point." ~ Abdul Samed Muntaka, PhD, Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, KNUST School of Business

"Congratulations Devendra and Bio Supply Management Alliance (BSMA) for your success in Africa and the years of impact and commitment you have had as pioneers in life sciences supply chain. There are surfers who get praise for riding waves on the popular beaches and then those who explore and pioneer the new breaks. I am sure all who know you would agree that you are not just a pioneer in our industry but a role model leader and a great friend to our industry and the patients we serve."

Andrew Setikas, Global Healthcare and Life Sciences, Teradata

"You and your team did an AMAZNIG job, it was a marvelous first BMSA Africa event. Congratulation!!!! I look forward to explore how I can support the organization of the second event." ~ Olivier DeFawe, Director, VillageReach

"I would like to also applaud your leadership which has been inspiring us along those 3 days. I am happy to contribute in any forms for the way forward." ~ Inès K. Gege Buki, Country Director, USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program

"Well done, the BSMA team for organizing. With regard to how ARC_ESM can play a role in the body of learning; I am committing to participating in the upcoming BSMA Africa conference and any other forum that will enable the sharing of our work with other governments and partners."

Azuka Okeke, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Resource Center for Excellence in SCM

"Last week, UNIZIMA was pleased to join industry leaders and academics from around the world for the 1st annual conference of BSMA Africa to showcase its expertise in sustainable biotechnologies and pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem.Our focus was on how Unizima is approaching local workforce development through building high functioning teams, providing world-class training to build a quality mindset as well as building a pipeline of talents to create a productive biomanufacturing workforce capable of building and growing a thriving biomanufacturing industry to enable autonomy and resilient health systems." ~ Hala Audi, CEO, Unizima

"The BSMA AFRICA Kigali, Rwanda 2022 was certainly a hit, and we are keen to develop a long term relationship with BSMA Africa. The OXIMIO Group is committed to improve and enhance the Clinical Supply Chain in sub-Saharan Africa, by introducing innovative solutions which are cost effective, robust and bullet proof, with the ultimate goal of attracting more Clinical Trials, New Molecules and address the Disease Burden." ~ Rob van den Bergh, Regional Director, sub-Saharan Africa Oximio

ORGANIZERS OF THE SUMMIT

From Left to Right:

Olivier Kadjata, Business Development Leader, HAZGO

Franck Toussaint, Managing Director, BSMA Europe

Devendra Mishra, Executive Director & Co-Founder, BSMA

Solange Nisingizwe, CEO, Africa World Cargo

About BSMA Africa

The Bio Supply Management Alliance was born 16 years ago for the need to create a worldwide community of operations and supply chain management leaders and professionals in the biotech, biopharma, and biomedical device industries. BSMA a global community of supply chain professionals in Life Sciences based out of San Francisco (USA), Europe (Brussels) and Asia (New Delhi), has launch an effort to build the supply chain backbone for a self-sufficient healthcare system for the continent of Africa. The Continent of Africa with 1.3 billion people will witness the greatest advancement in healthcare whereby the wellbeing and economy of its nations will be significantly enhanced in the 21st century.

BSMA’s mission has been to accelerate affordability and accessibility of scientific and technological advancements in life sciences and healthcare by fostering collaboration among the stakeholders of the industry to include the government, world health organizations, public and private enterprise, academia, research organizations, foundations and NGOs.

CONTACT: Devendra Mishra, Executive Director,

Phone: 818-224-1552

Email: devendra@biosupplyalliance.com

BSMA AFRICA CELEBRATES

LEARNING, SHARING & NETWORKING IN ITS MISSION

﻿TO BUILD THE HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN OF AFRICA!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMIT

TO BUILD THE HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN OF AFRICA!