Every year, pharma companies sign distribution agreements in African markets on the strength of desk research, broker recommendations, or regional reputation alone — and most of them pay for it. Genuine market intelligence in Africa requires field visits, health authority conversations, and distributor reference checks that cannot be replicated from a laptop. The companies that expand successfully are the ones that understand this before they commit.
The distribution landscape in African pharma markets is fundamentally different from what global commercial databases suggest. Published revenue figures for distributors are frequently inaccurate or absent. Regulatory standing requires direct verification with health authorities. Competitive conflict — a distributor representing a competing portfolio — is often undisclosed. Financial stability cannot be assessed from a website.
None of this is possible from behind a desk. And yet the default approach for most global companies entering a new African market is precisely that: a desk-based country assessment, a shortlist of distributors sourced from databases or broker networks, and a selection process that never involves a site visit.
Full article coming soon.