WFP and Takeda Deepen Partnership in West Africa to Strengthen Health Emergency Response

A new JPY 1.3 billion (approximately USD 10.8 million) contribution from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) Global CSR Program to the World Food Programme (WFP) builds on previous successes and brings forward a 5-year initiative to help strengthen regional health supply chain capacities in West Africa.

Takeda and WFP’s existing partnership has focused on strengthening in-country public health supply chains and supporting long-term pandemic preparedness, combining Takeda’s financial support with WFP’s supply chain knowledge and experience, built over nearly six decades of working in some of the most logistically challenging environments in the world.  

In West Africa, fragile supply chains can lead to delays and damage in the transport and storage of medicines and other vital health items, leaving vulnerable communities without the help they need. This new initiative, which will run from 2022 to 2026, will build on existing activities as part of the current Takeda-WFP partnership, helping to address supply chain gaps and challenges at a regional level, ensuring better accessibility and availability of health products in fragile environments through the WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra, Ghana.  

The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots (UNHRD) are a network of six strategically located hubs around the world that provide supply chain services to the humanitarian community. UNHRD Ghana, in Accra, supports humanitarian organizations working across 17 West African countries. This initiative will enhance the capacity of UNHRD Accra to store and deliver temperature-sensitive health products on behalf of the humanitarian community, and will create a Regional Logistics Knowledge Centre, where supply chain professionals and representatives from national governments in the region can receive training on best-in-class supply chain practices, ensuring that they are better equipped to face and manage health emergencies.   

“WFP has been working with Takeda since 2020 and we value this partnership enormously,” said WFP’s Executive Director David Beasley. “This new generous donation from Takeda reflects the success and sustainability of our collaboration and will help public and private actors in West Africa prepare for, and respond to, health emergencies – so that vital supplies can reach those most in need.”  

“Takeda is proud to continue working with the World Food Programme to transform supply chains and ensure access to critical health products in West Africa,” said Takako Ohyabu, Chief Global Corporate Affairs Officer at Takeda. “Our Global CSR Program partners are selected annually by our employees around the world. Through this program, we are focused on strengthening health systems and our work with WFP continues to be meaningful to employees. As we continue this partnership, we hope to empower communities in West Africa to be ready for the health challenges of the future.”