From Distressed Assets to Sovereign Capability — Thought Leadership by Dr. Anjo De Heus

Why Africa’s Biotech Future May Be Built, Not Invented**

Over the past weeks, I’ve been looking closely at something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in global health and development conversations: distressed biotech and pharmaceutical assets.

In the United States and Europe, there are dozens of biotech and pharma companies sitting in various states of distress — not because the science failed, but because capital cycles shifted, timelines stretched, or strategic priorities changed.
Some are in restructuring. Some in bankruptcy. Others are quietly being carved up for parts.

What’s striking is this: many of these assets still work.

They have IP.
They have data.
They have GMP-grade processes, equipment, or know-how.

They are not dead. They are simply orphaned.

At the same time, Africa — a continent of more than 1.4 billion people — remains overwhelmingly dependent on imports for essential medicines, biologics, diagnostics, and APIs. Not because of a lack of talent or demand, but because industrial capacity was never built at scale.

That contrast raises an uncomfortable but powerful question:

What if Africa’s biotech and pharmaceutical sovereignty doesn’t start with new invention — but with intelligent acquisition and transfer?

Distressed Does Not Mean Worthless

In biotech and pharma, “distressed” is often misunderstood.

It does not necessarily mean:

• unsafe
• unproven
• scientifically flawed

More often, it means:

• funding ran out before scale
• timelines didn’t match venture expectations
• the asset no longer fit a portfolio strategy
• manufacturing capacity sat idle

From an industrial and public-health perspective, that creates arbitrage.

Not financial arbitrage alone — but strategic arbitrage between:

• regions with excess intellectual and industrial capacity
  and
• regions with structural demand and under-supply

Africa’s Constraint Is Not Innovation — It’s Infrastructure

Africa does not lack:

• doctors
• scientists
• entrepreneurs
• demand

What it lacks, in many places, is:

• GMP manufacturing
• regulatory-grade quality systems
• technology transfer pipelines
• locally anchored production capacity

This matters because health sovereignty is not a slogan.
It is operational capacity.

During COVID, this reality became painfully visible. Vaccine access, diagnostics, therapeutics — all flowed first to regions with domestic manufacturing and procurement leverage.

That lesson should not be forgotten.

A Different Starting Point

Much of the discussion around African biotech focuses on:

• startups
• innovation hubs
• pilot projects
• venture funding

All of that has value — but it is slow, risky, and capital intensive.

There is another path that deserves serious attention:

1. Identify distressed biotech or pharma assets with proven IP or manufacturing readiness
2. Acquire or license them at fractions of replacement cost
3. Transfer and localize production in African jurisdictions
4. Build workforce, regulatory capability, and supply chains locally
5. Anchor demand through public health systems and regional procurement

This is not speculative innovation.
This is industrial build-out.

Why This Is Investable (Not Philanthropic)

This approach sits at the intersection of:

• private equity logic (undervalued assets)
• development finance (jobs, sovereignty, resilience)
• public health impact (local access, affordability)
• long-term industrial strategy

It is not venture capital.
It is not aid.

It is structured execution.

When paired with:

• sovereign or institutional offtake
• regional health demand
• multilateral de-risking instruments

…these projects become bankable.

The Role of Institutions and Capital

Institutions like the World Bank, IFC, and regional development banks have long understood distressed asset resolution in the financial sector.
The same thinking can — and should — be applied to health and life sciences infrastructure.

Not every solution needs to be invented from scratch.

Some need to be rescued, repurposed, and rooted where they matter most.

A Closing Thought

Africa’s future in biotech and pharmaceuticals will not be defined by how many pitch decks are written.

It will be defined by:

• how many factories operate
• how many skilled jobs are created
• how many medicines are produced locally
• how resilient supply chains become

Distressed assets may seem like an unlikely starting point.

But in a world of capital cycles and unequal capacity, they may be one of the most pragmatic paths toward real sovereignty.

About the author

Dr. Anjo De Heus is an entrepreneur, strategist, and ecosystem builder focused on translating proven healthcare and #healthtech solutions into scalable, real-world impact across #Africa and the #GCC. He works at the intersection of execution platforms, workforce capability, and market-driven health systems, with a strong emphasis on moving beyond pilots toward sustainable delivery models.

Through initiatives such as 360SASA LTD. and 360Disruption, he partners with governments, training institutions, and private-sector innovators to localize solutions, build operational capacity, and strengthen health ecosystems through execution rather than theory.

#HealthSovereignty #BiotechManufacturing #PharmaIndustry #DistressedAssets #IndustrialStrategy #AfricaRising
#AfricanDevelopment #LocalManufacturing #HealthSecurity #DevelopmentFinance #ImpactInvesting #BlendedFinance