The Senegalese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP) continues to expand its network across the country. This Wednesday, its Director General, Dr. Alioune Abatalib Diouf, participated in the Regional Development Committee (CRD) meeting dedicated to the official launch of the Saint-Louis regional office and the installation of a regulatory platform dedicated to the supply of health products.

The event, chaired by the region's administrative authorities, brought together political, social, and economic actors as well as defense and security forces, a sign of the strategic importance of this new step in the fight against illicit medicines.

A strengthened system to combat drug trafficking

Faced with the explosion of the parallel market, the ARP (Regulatory Authority for Pharmaceutical Products) had already seized, in 2025, counterfeit pharmaceutical products worth an estimated 4.2 billion CFA francs. For Dr. Diouf, this new branch is a crucial tool for intensifying the response. "We're not going to stop now. Territorial deployment continues after the inauguration in Kaolack. Saint-Louis is a major step," he affirms.

The branch will be staffed with sworn inspectors tasked with conducting joint missions with the security forces. They will carry out checks, inspections, and arrests, if necessary, to clean up the regional pharmaceutical market.

Quality control and mini-laboratories: a major innovation

In addition to inspection, the branch will play a central role in verifying the quality of medicines. The national laboratory based in Dakar will be supported by the opening of regional mini-laboratories designed to certify product quality, detect counterfeit medicines, analyze fake medications, and strengthen pharmaceutical surveillance. This system aims to guarantee the population access to safe and compliant products.

Strategic border hubs to secure the territory

The ARP's deployment strategy prioritizes border areas particularly exposed to transnational trafficking: Kaolack for the Gambian border, Saint-Louis for the Mauritanian border, Ziguinchor for Guinea, and Tambacounda for the Malian border.

According to Dr. Alioune Abatalib Diouf, this network will secure the borders while ensuring a homogeneous network across the territory.

The authorities, for their part, welcome this structuring initiative. For Sidy Guissé Diongue, deputy governor in charge of administrative affairs, this new branch represents a major step forward for the Saint-Louis region. "It will allow us to better combat counterfeit medicines and promote the availability and accessibility of health products."

This CRD also enabled participants to assimilate pharmaceutical legislation and the functioning of the new branch, thus strengthening their understanding of the issues related to pharmaceutical sovereignty.

With the opening of the Saint-Louis branch, the ARP confirms its commitment to territorializing health policies, further securing the drug supply chain and protecting populations against the risks associated with illicit products.