Expert: South Africa to become Africa’s pharmaceutical hub through partnership with India

South Africa could emerge as a pharmaceutical hub for the African continent through enhanced cooperation with India, according to the country’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, in an exclusive interview with IOL.

The decision by the African Union to designate South Africa as a pharmaceutical centre presents significant opportunities for collaboration with India in this sector. Sooklal described India as a global pharmaceutical hub and noted that Indian companies are already active across Africa, including in South Africa, with an interest in establishing full-scale local manufacturing.

“That’s an area where we believe there can be a great deal of cooperation, where India could help us to develop our pharmaceutical industry and not just supply to the African continent,” the diplomat stated.

Sooklal also highlighted renewable energy as another promising area for bilateral cooperation. He noted that India was among the founding members of the International Solar Alliance and places strong emphasis on solar and wind power, as well as green hydrogen.

"All of the areas we are focusing on in South Africa and the African continent, it’s happening in India. We are already partnering with India on the energy front, but I believe we can do much more, especially on green energy"

Anil Sooklal South Africa's High Commissioner to India

In addition, both countries aim to strengthen collaboration in the digital economy. According to the High Commissioner, Africa is undergoing rapid industrial development with a growing focus on new technologies and digital commerce – areas in which India has significant expertise.

According to him, India is a major player in the digital sphere, and both sides can significantly benefit in terms of trade and investment by strengthening and deepening these relations.

He further noted that India’s digital public infrastructure has helped reduce extreme poverty to below five per cent, suggesting that Africa could achieve similar outcomes by adopting comparable approaches.

Agriculture represents another key area of potential cooperation. India, with a population of nearly 1.5 billion, has achieved food self-sufficiency. Partnership with India in modernising Africa’s agricultural sector and developing agro-processing industries could bring substantial benefits to the continent.

The diplomat also pointed to opportunities in the development of physical infrastructure, including ports, railways, airports and road networks. In the field of education, India is expected to offer thousands of scholarships to African students, further strengthening people-to-people ties.

Overall, Anil Sooklal concluded that deeper engagement between South Africa and India across these strategic sectors could significantly contribute to sustainable economic growth and regional development in Africa.