A new white paper released by Pharma.Aero and TIACA warns that chronic underinvestment in air cargo capacity for Sub-Saharan Africa is restricting access to lifesaving medicines and holding back one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions.
The Food and Farm for Health report, published today, presents detailed evidence that Africa receives just 2% of global airfreight capacity — despite accounting for nearly one-sixth of the world’s population and facing some of the highest healthcare logistics needs. The study concludes that this imbalance is limiting pharmaceutical availability for hundreds of millions of people, while simultaneously constraining the region’s ability to scale exports of high-value agricultural goods.
Drawing on a decade of market data, economic impact modelling and industry research, the white paper calls Sub-Saharan Africa a “critical but underserved node” in global supply chains. It argues that reconfiguring capacity allocation and building stronger bidirectional trade flows could deliver major gains in public health, employment and foreign-exchange earnings.
Severe underallocation and rising demand
The authors highlight several structural issues that they say require urgent attention:
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Sub-Saharan Africa receives only 2% of global air cargo capacity, despite rising demand for temperature-controlled medicines and healthcare products.
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Up to 90% of essential pharmaceuticals — including vaccines and lifesaving therapies — arrive by air, making the region particularly vulnerable to capacity shortages.
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African perishables exports have stagnated in contrast with rapid growth from Asia and Latin America, limiting job creation in rural communities.
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Seasonal surges in vaccine demand and recurring disease outbreaks, including malaria and cholera, underscore the need for more agile and reliable uplift.
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China and India are rapidly expanding their influence by investing in African logistics gateways, increasing competition for market share.
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Better-aligned pharma imports and perishables exports present a “dual opportunity” to expand healthcare access and boost economic development.
‘A wake-up call’ for the global air cargo industry
Frank Van Gelder, Secretary General of Pharma.Aero and lead coordinator of the project, said the findings highlight a missed opportunity.
“When we launched this project, our aim was to understand the true economic and humanitarian impact of air cargo. Very quickly, all indicators pointed to Sub-Saharan Africa, where only two percent of global air cargo capacity is allocated,” he said.
“This imbalance limits access to essential medicines and restricts the continent’s ability to scale agricultural exports. By offering more capacity, we unlock a dual opportunity: helping Africa strengthen local economies and ensuring healthcare products reach the populations that need them most. If we fail to act, we risk missing not only an economic opportunity but a chance to support the health resilience of one of the world’s most dynamic regions.”
Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA, described the report as “a wake-up call”.
“Sub-Saharan Africa depends almost entirely on airfreight for essential medicines and for transporting high-value agricultural products to world markets. These limitations are not just operational; they impact lives, livelihoods and long-term development,” he said.
“Strengthening air cargo links between Europe and Africa is a clear opportunity to improve healthcare access, boost rural incomes and create more resilient supply chains. But coordinated, cross-industry action is essential. The time to act is now.”
Pharma.Aero and TIACA push for coordinated reform
The Food and Farm for Health project — a collaboration between Pharma.Aero, TIACA, the Cool Chain Association, the Humanitarian Logistics Association and Fairmiles — examined how synchronising inbound pharmaceutical flows with outbound perishables exports could improve supply chain efficiency and expand access to essential medicines.
The organisations say they will continue working with airlines, regulators and donors to develop policy recommendations and support pilot programmes in key African markets.
The white paper concludes that rebalancing global air cargo networks to better serve Africa is not only commercially viable but crucial for strengthening global health security and unlocking long-term economic potential.
The White Paper of the Food and Farm for Health Project is available here.
