18th World Congress on Public Health
16 October 2025
18th World Congress on Public Health
16 October 2025
APSSA 2025 E WIAFE – 1: Dr Ebenezer Wiafe introducing conference attendees to the Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CEPSA).

Strengthening pharmacovigilance capacities in Southern African countries – current practices, challenges and proposed strategies

At the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APSSA) 2025 Conference, Lagoon Beach, Cape Town, South Africa, I had the opportunity to deliver a podium presentation on strengthening pharmacovigilance capacities in Southern African countries.

written by:

Dr Ebenezer Wiafe

The initiative to establish the Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CEPSA) contributed to the 2025 APSSA Conference, when I delivered a podium presentation on 01 September 2025.

The presentation was based on the preliminary desk review findings from the first phase of the tri-phased baseline studies being conducted by CEPSA. During the podium engagement, I presented some pharmacovigilance challenges of the 16 member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), discussed recommended strategies to improve pharmacovigilance systems and expanded on evidence-based practices that have enhanced the pharmacovigilance capacity of some SADC-member countries.

APSSA 2025 E WIAFE – 2: Dr Ebenezer Wiafe presenting on the pharmacovigilance challenges in Southern Africa and the impact CEPSA seeks to make.

As the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow of CEPSA, under the immediate mentorship of Prof Renier Coetzee and Dr Hazel Bradley, I am grateful for the opportunity to engage the scientific community in showcasing the potential contribution of the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), partnering with the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp, Belgium), through CEPSA, in strengthening Southern African pharmacovigilance landscape.