Saudi Ministry of Health supports December launch event in Riyadh; Event to highlight Saudi Arabia’s ambitious pharma goals, with over 400 exhibitors and more than 30,000 visitors anticipated; Industry trends, challenges&opportunities to be explored across four stages 

Tahaluf, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing business event organiser, has launched the latest in its vertical industry shows – CPHI Middle East, the region’s premier pharmaceutical event – marking a significant milestone for the Middle East’s rapidly expanding pharma sector. 

Set to take place at the Riyadh Front Exhibition&Convention Center from December 10-12, 2024, this landmark event has garnered the support of the Saudi Ministry of Health and is held in partnership with the Events Investment Fund.  

The event comes as Saudi Arabia emerges as a global leader in biotechnology, with an ambitious plan to achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production, biomanufacturing, and genomics. Further, the country’s pharmaceutical market, the largest in the Middle East, is expected to reach US$11.5 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 2.52 per cent, according to market researcher IMARC Group. 

Mohaned El Mahgoub, Group Director, at Tahaluf said, “The MENA region, which is the world’s fifth largest pharma market, makes Saudi Arabia an important international meeting hub for the pharmaceutical community. It is a hugely attractive region for multinational pharma companies, with projected double digit annual market growth until 2032. CPHI Middle East&Africa will be where the future of pharma unites to forge long-lasting partnerships that stretch across the Middle East, Africa and around the world.” 

Healthcare and life sciences are among Saudi Arabia’s most significant sectors and key focuses of Saudi Vision 2030. Of the US$333bn 2024 budget allocation, healthcare and social development expenditures account for roughly US$57bn, the third-largest segment after general and military spending. 

Adam Andersen, Executive Vice President, Pharma, at Informa Markets said, “Our venture into the Middle East is a significant milestone as we celebrate 35 years of CPHI this year. Given Saudi Arabia’s strategic location, coupled with an increasing demand for high-quality healthcare products, we’re confident CPHI Middle East will deliver exceptional value to our stakeholders, exhibitors and attendees as we bring the heart of pharma to  the Kingdom. This inaugural event also aligns with a key goal of Saudi Vision 2030 to double domestic manufacturing from 20 per cent to 40 per cent. With several international pharmaceutical companies have already committed to setting up operations in Saudi Arabia and CPHI Middle East will build on that by drawing a number of key international brands eager to explore Saudi Arabia as a potential regional hub.” 

Tahaluf expects the event to spread across 30,000 sqm of exhibition space, attract 30,000 visitors, over 400 exhibitors, and more than 100 participating countries, and points to strong early-day support. Major regional industry names are among early sponsors and exhibitor signings, including Sudair Pharma, Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, Hikma Pharmaceutical, Pioneer Company for Pharmaceutical Industries, SPIMACO and Julphar, EIPICO. Dallah Pharma, MS Pharma, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Zeta Pharma, and Dietrich Engineering Consultants.  

Designed as an experiential event, CPHI Middle East will feature four dedicated stages – The Future, Innovation, Next-Gen Bio and Discovery – where experts will help delegates examine the latest industry trends, challenges and opportunities. A headline speaker platform is already taking shape with global industry leaders signing up to address the gatherings including Anil Kane, Executive Director, Global Head of Technical&Scientific Affairs, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Zakiya Al-Kurdi, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, US Pharmacopeia; Claudia Palme, Senior Executive Advisor Strategy& Middle East, PwC; Faisal Bin Dail, Chairman, National Committee for Pharmaceutical Industries and Baxter; Musaed Al Kholief Saudi, Commissioner, Health Specialities Strategy Advisor Secretariat General; Bikash Chatterjee, President and Chief Science Officer, Pharmatech Associates, A USP Company as well as Hala Audi, CEO, Unizima. 

CPHI Middle East is the latest in a raft of new vertical events to be launched in Saudi Arabia by Tahaluf – the strategic collaborative venture between Informa PLC, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP) and the Events Investment Fund. The launch of CPHI is part of Tahaluf’s major expansion strategy – the biggest single events expansion in Saudi Arabia’s history – in which the company is introducing over 20 new B2B and B2C titles into the Kingdom by the end of 2025, bringing more than US$1 billion in economic impact to Riyadh. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CPHI Middle East.

About CPHI 
CPHI creates connections and inspires partnerships across the global pharma community. The event champions innovation at the heart of pharma through its international events, granting attendees access to endless opportunities. Its powerful digital solutions help attendees stay connected with the industry at every step of their journey. The exhibition has a long standing history with 10 events spread across Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East. 

September 20, 2024 – Three organizations, Jamiii Forums, Smart Foundry Ltd., and The Launchpad Tanzania were today named the winners of the U.S.-Tanzania Tech Challenge, which brought together leading technologists, government officials, civil society, academia, and media professionals to address critical challenges and explore innovative solutions in the realms of civic participation, media literacy, and information integrity.

Through the program, Jamii Forums will receive US$100,000, Smart Foundry will receive US$80,000, and The Launchpad will receive US$70,000.

Guest of Honor Jerry Silaa, Minister of Information, Communication, and Technology, provided opening remarks at the event, which was also attended by Michel Toto, UNESCO Head of Office, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Lentz, and Daniel Kimmage, Principal Deputy Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center.

“Partnering like we are today – government officials, private sector entrepreneurs, tech innovators, and consumers – can inspire the next great innovation and collaborative effort to shape our shared future,” said U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Dr. Michael A. Battle.  “Together we can strengthen the free and open global information infrastructure.”

Launched in June, the U.S.-Tanzania Tech Challenge sought innovative solutions to promote information integrity, fostering greater participation and involvement in civic activities, and strengthen the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate and interpret information in the digital age.

More than 100 entries were received and evaluated, and eight finalists were selected. These eight finalists then presented how their technologies can tackle pressing issues in the information space to a panel of judges from the United States and Tanzania on September 18.

On September 19, finalists, participants, business and technology leaders, and government officials gathers to engage in a series of meaningful panel discussions and presentations centered around the themes of the Tech Challenge, as well as discussing the future of technology in Tanzania, the influence of artificial intelligence, and how to monetize and gain access to capital for technology businesses.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Tanzania.

According to Col. Nakalema, the rampant unemployment rate in Uganda exacerbated by corruption levels and the failure for the youth to access policy makers, needs concerted efforts of all stakeholders to find both short-term and long-term solutions to tame the likely outcomes.

“When these young people tell us that we are not giving them attention, it is a genuine concern because they now kind of own the country given that they are the majority and it is our duty to ensure that what they are putting to us is addressed,” Col. Nakalema said, while quoting the 2024 preliminary Population Census results which indicated that the youths (0-35 years) in Uganda constitute 82% of the 45.9 million people.

The SHIPU head made the remarks on Wednesday 18th September, 2024 during a meeting with academicians and other leaders at the unit’s offices in Kampala.

The meeting was aimed at discussing and sharing solutions to youth unemployment, a challenge the country continues to deal with.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Uganda.

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, emphasized that the government is working to increase partnerships with the private sector in various fields, in light of its vital role in driving inclusive and sustainable growth and achieving economic development.

This came during H.E.’s participation in the conferencing launching a public-private sector partnership for the development of education, organized by H.E. the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in partnership with NextEra. This was in the presence of H.E. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Capital Development and Minister of Health and Population; H.E. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research;  Ms. Herro Mustafa Garg,US Ambassador to Egypt; and Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghafar, the President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT); as well as officials from private sector companies, entrepreneurs, and institutions relevant to the education sector.

In her speech, Al-Mashat noted that economic development and sustainability can only be achieved by investing in human capital, which includes investing in education and empowering a future generation of capable leaders. In this context, H.E. highlighted the importance of public-private partnership.

Noting that bridging the development gap in any sector requires constructive partnerships between the Government and the private sector, complementarity with development partners, international institutions and relevant entities, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation is working to implement evidence-based development policies, advance partnerships with the private sector through structural reforms, and enhance international partnerships in order to bridge development gaps across sectors, as per the government’s priorities and vision.

H.E. pointed out that public-private partnerships are driving innovative models of development, especially in the education sector.

Moreover in the context of chairing the ministerial group for entrepreneurship, H.E. noted the importance of the entrepreneurship and startup sector, in light of Egypt’s infrastructure potential and the human resources, making it a leading country in entrepreneurship in the region.

Al-Mashat also discussed Egypt’s advanced technological infrastructure and continuous growth in ICT, which helps strengthen partnerships with the private sector in various sectors and acts as a catalyst for entrepreneurship, thus contributing in the progress towards inclusive and sustainable growth.

In conclusion, H.E. emphasized that development gaps in different sectors are creating space for innovation and sustainable solutions.

During the event, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat  and H.E. Dr. Ayman Ashour witnessed the signing of a partnership between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and NextEra, as well as the signing of partnership agreements between NextEra and a number of international universities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning and Economic Development – Egypt.