Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Introducing Santosh Kumar as the New EVP Healthcare SSA for DP World
- DP World is addressing and integrating fragmented logistics and supply chains by ensuring end-to-end pharmaceutical logistics from factory floor to customer door, with temperature control and quality integrity as essential components.
- DP World is uniquely positioned in Africa with 30,000+ employees, $3 billion+ in revenue, and presence in 40+ countries—making it one of the few multinational companies deeply invested with local expertise in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Life expectancy gap represents a 20-year opportunity: Africa's average life expectancy is 63 years versus 73 globally (84 in Japan/Hong Kong), meaning improved healthcare access could add 10-20 productive years to millions of lives and drive economic growth.
- Vision for legacy: reduce aid dependency and integrate fragmented markets by engaging governments, regulators, and manufacturers to standardize pharmaceutical regulations across Africa, the impact of economies of scale benefiting directly to patients.
EF: Could you elaborate on your new role and the strategy you are setting up for Africa? What is the mission you set for yourself?
SK: In my new role, I will be heading healthcare for sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. DP World manages end-to-end logistics, and we have specialized business-to-business expertise in this area. One part is market access, which we call distribution, and it means we partner with many pharmaceutical and healthcare companies to make their products accessible in Africa. That is the first arm I will be managing.
The second arm I will be leading is our humanitarian aid model. We partner with many NGOs, donors, and humanitarian agencies to ensure their commodities reach the locations where they are required. Third, we provide logistics support to many healthcare companies, including pharmaceutical companies and donor agencies. In my new role, I will be leading this business across sub-Saharan Africa.
EF: What would you like to achieve, and what is the strategy you want to put into place for the region?
SK: Many people treat Africa as a single market when it actually comprises more than 50 countries. More companies are approaching Africa as one entity, and that is where the problem starts and ends. Many give up halfway, but our strategy is to stay committed because we are deeply invested there. For DP World, sub-Saharan Africa represents one of the most important markets where we operate in terms of people and business. You rarely hear that from other multinational companies, because Africa is not a place many people pay attention to, even though that is where the biggest challenges in logistics, healthcare, and other areas exist. Africa is our largest region, with more than 30,000 employees at DP World and more than 3 billion dollars in revenue.
Our strategy is clear. When you are dealing with products like medicines, logistics is not just moving boxes. In the case of pharmaceuticals, there is no room for error. That matters for every product, but misaligned content has far greater consequences in medicine. It is about moving products in a temperature-controlled environment and ensuring the medicine reaches the patient in its best condition. It requires attentiveness. Our strategy is to integrate fragmented logistics and supply chains in Africa and provide an end-to-end solution for African patients, ensuring they have access to quality medicines when they need them. It may sound simple, but it is complex work in Africa.
EF: How is DP World positioning itself as a partner of choice when it comes to Sub-Saharan Africa?
SK: DP World has a deep and long-term commitment to Africa, with operations in more than forty countries where the company manages truly end-to-end logistics. Very few organizations can offer such comprehensive capabilities on a global scale. The guiding principle is clear: from the factory floor to the customer’s door, as close as possible and as compliant as necessary.
At DP World, we oversee every step of the journey: collection in the right condition, transport through ports and logistics networks, warehousing, and last-mile delivery.
While other players in a supply chain can deliver economies of scale, our strength lies in how those efficiencies are used. When the company achieves scale advantages, the benefit is not retained solely for itself. Instead, it is translated into more accessible pricing for patients. Availability, quality, and affordability must go hand in hand, particularly in Africa, where patients need reliable access to life-saving products.
EF: In a world where change is the only constant, what lessons have you learned that you believe other business leaders could learn?
SK: The most important thing is managing Africa with African experience. Being on the ground, we have seen that wherever we are, it makes a difference. The experience of Africa matters, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which is extremely complex. I lived in Nigeria for seventeen years with my family. Staying connected to the ground in Africa is extremely important.
We have learned that, although European and American perspectives are strong in developed countries, it is critical to have people who understand the complexities of Africa. That is one of the key success factors for DP World. Having 30,000 employees across different parts of Africa, managing infrastructure, ports, warehouses, and trucks, presents us with a significant learning curve. It helps us understand Africa better than any other company. For us, people are a great asset.
It is an adventure living here, but it is also the reality of Africa. Our business executives, whether I or the thousands of people in DP World, are not focused on PowerPoints or relying on media reports. We have people who understand the complexities of Africa. We have grassroots experience across DP World rather than being parachuted from the top to decode Pan Africa.
EF: What is your vision of the future of logistics in Africa in this highly digitized world, and how are you shaping it as one of the largest companies having this responsibility?
SK: At DP World, technology and innovation are our focus from morning till evening. We adapt constantly and make sure we have the right tools, including AI, to handle demand forecasting and improve forecasting accuracy, especially in our logistics work. We also make sure clients can see where their cargo is. In particular, for pharmaceuticals, end-to-end temperature monitoring is a major priority. If you are moving a box of vaccines from the deep interior of India to Tanzania or Kenya, we need full visibility. We use temperature loggers, track cargo as it arrives at the port, place it in a refrigerated container, and take the steps necessary to maintain product quality.
We work heavily with AI, forecasting tools, and blockchain to support product traceability. If there is a product issue or a side effect on the ground, we track it back to the source. We are deeply invested in that. At the same time, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Sometimes, on the ground, where there are fewer pharmacies or wholesalers, we depend on value-chain partners to adopt the tech as well. The realities across Africa are still developing, but mobile-based digitization is growing fast. Downstream, there will be a lot more technological adaptation in the coming years.
EF: Why is a dollar invested in Africa better than anywhere else?
SK: The biggest challenge Africa faces is the reduction in external funding. Yet, Africa offers unparalleled long-term investment opportunities, given its population of over 1.2 billion people who share the same aspirations for quality food, nutrition, and healthcare as any global citizen.
Rather than being deterred by imperfection, we see fragmented logistics as a prime area where our expertise adds the most value. Our mission is to ensure access to quality medicines and affordable products across the continent, collaborating closely with manufacturers to secure the best possible prices. We view logistics not as a challenge, but as an opportunity to drive meaningful impact.
The life expectancy gap between Africa and the global average underscores both a need and an opportunity. In countries like Nigeria, where life expectancy is significantly lower than in developed regions, there exists a tremendous runway for progress, particularly through better healthcare, nutrition, and supply chain solutions. Closing this gap not only transforms lives but also strengthens economies for the future.
EF: What legacy would you like to build as part of the new generation of leaders defining the future of Life Sciences and healthcare in Africa?
SK: The legacy I seek to establish centers on integrating Africa’s fragmented Life Sciences and healthcare markets into a cohesive distribution value chain, fostering collaboration among governments and key stakeholders. In light of recent reductions in financial aid, it is imperative to diminish aid dependency by encouraging greater governmental investment in healthcare. Concurrently, we aim to leverage DP World’s comprehensive capabilities to deliver tangible benefits directly to patients.
Our efforts include partnering with regulators to prevent market isolation and advancing initiatives aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area to streamline regulatory processes. Currently, market inefficiencies arise from country-specific packaging, languages, and registration requirements, as well as costly minimum order quantities. By consolidating contributions and pooling resources, DP World intends to serve as a central facilitator, maintaining proximity to local markets and enabling continental solutions.
We are actively engaging regulators and manufacturers to develop improved distribution models that minimize risks such as overstocking, capital lock-up, and product quality degradation due to inadequate storage. The high capital costs and interest rates faced by African businesses, exemplified by Nigeria’s mid-20s interest rates, restrict growth and scale. By addressing these financial and logistical barriers, we can unlock new opportunities for expansion.
