To support stronger healthcare delivery and outcomes in West Africa, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) has announced a deepening partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to help the company build a pharmaceutical production facility and distribution hub in Côte d'Ivoire.

Under the partnership, IFC will provide subsidiaries of Fosun Pharma with two loans totaling 50 million euros to support the construction of a manufacturing site near Abidjan to produce anti-malaria drugs and anti-bacterial medicines. The facility, which will take place in three phases, is expected to have a capacity of 5 billion tablets annually after phase 3 completion.

The project will improve access to quality, affordable life-saving medicines across West Africa, contributing to better health outcomes in a region that contends with heavy loads of infectious and other diseases. The project will also facilitate medical and manufacturing knowledge transfer to Africa, supporting the long-term growth and strength of the wider region's health sector.

The first Chinese drug brand widely recognised in Africa, Artesun (Artesunate for Injection), independently developed and manufactured by Fosun Pharma, has treated over 56 million patients with severe malaria worldwide by the end of 2022.