African states are particularly at risk as they import 70% of their pharmaceutical products. The continent is main hub for the trade in counterfeit medicines, as organised criminals seek to exploit fragile states to import, manufacture, traffic and sell falsified medicines.

Antimalarials and antibiotics are among the most commonly reported fake products. The average global antimalarial failure rate is 47%.

• The Foundation, in partnership with the Harvard Global Health Institute and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, brought together stakeholders to a conference at the Wellcome Trust, on 28 March 2018, to explore global priorities.
• The stakeholders spanned English- and French-speaking countries and institutions.

• On the 18 January, 2020, the governments of Congo, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Uganda signed a political declaration committing to take action on falsified and substandard medicines.
• As the first action of the Lomé Initiative, the governments supported by the Brazzaville Foundation have agreed to work on legislation criminalising the trafficking and sale of falsified medicines.

• Introduce legislation to criminalise the traffic in substandard and falsified medicines and impose tough criminal penalties.
• Sign and ratify relevant international agreements, including the Medicrime Convention and the Palermo Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime.
• Establish inter-agency mechanisms at national level to ensure vigorous enforcement of the new legislation and improve cooperation among states.