Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Understanding health is central to a population’s economy, culture, and social well-being.
- Wesley Solomon’s mission when appointed as head of Healthcare & Life Sciences in Africa: reaching equity, and guiding businesses to reduce access gaps across all industries.
- Deloitte is implementing a human resource strategy to optimize healthcare delivery.
- Deloitte’s services to Healthcare & Life Sciences industry leaders in Africa: auditing, market access models, PPPs, data analytic expertise to identify pain points in the supply chain, among others.
- Pillars for sustainable health businesses: responsible digital usage and seeing the client as a whole.
- Deloitte’s footprint in Africa: focusing on English-speaking countries with centers of excellence and capabilities, choosing clients aligned with the company’s core values.
- Health trends in Africa: consolidation of funders, the rise of public and private insurance, increase in local manufacturing, and significant rise of NDCs, among others.
- Deloitte is celebrating 180 years in 2025, with Wesley Solomon hoping to see Africans take charge of their own health.
EF: What message would you share on the importance of Healthcare to world leaders?
WS: The first thing I would say is that making health central to population growth and economic development is crucial. For too long, we have treated health as a secondary issue, focusing on wellness programs for employees or general public health. However, global pandemics, like the recent COVID-19 crisis, have shown us that health is directly tied to economic stability, bringing entire economies to a halt. And COVID-19 is just the tip of the iceberg—there are other challenges, like mental health, obesity, and non-communicable diseases, that deeply impact productivity, family well-being, and the cultural fabric of nations.
I would emphasize that health can no longer be ignored. The absence of disease does not equate to true health; it simply means the absence of illness. We need a paradigm shift—not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it’s beneficial for economies and countries alike.
Healthcare is often outsourced to professionals who guide us. But while people now demand personalized experiences in education and fashion, healthcare often has remained a one-size-fits-all. This overlooks the fact that individuals should be at the center of their own health decisions. The current approach is dictated by governments and regulations, but the true agency should lie with the patient.
EF: What do you want to achieve in Africa with your new role?
WS: I am deeply committed to equity, especially in healthcare. Having traveled extensively across Africa and worked in many resource-limited areas, I have seen firsthand the expertise present, yet so much is lost due to inefficient implementation. Africa is not going to see a significant increase in healthcare funding—budgets are tightening. It is distressing to think of families who have saved diligently, and secured health insurance, only to face financial ruin from a catastrophic health event. These situations could be prevented with greater efficiency.
I joined Deloitte because it has a deep understanding of how to optimize operations and help clients achieve more with less. Applying this expertise to healthcare, we can shift the focus from managing illness to keeping people healthier for longer. It is about breaking the vicious cycles of poverty and ill health and creating a positive feedback loop.
Deloitte's vision in Africa is to leverage its strengths across industries and apply them to healthcare—turning challenges into opportunities.
EF: What additional strategies could be implemented to make the most of Africa's limited resources?
WS: Economies of scale are beneficial for any business, which is why buying in bulk often makes sense. However, when it comes to strategies for optimizing healthcare in Africa, the challenge is less about technology or human resources and more about governance. Establishing forums that enable collaboration, like public-private partnerships, is a key strategy. These partnerships can help address gaps without the need for building new facilities. For example, if one facility has open beds, it can offer services to others across both public and private sectors.
Additionally, public-private partnerships can address quality challenges in public hospitals by offering mentorship from the private sector, such as helping managers gain the skills they might lack, like business acumen or MBAs. This collaboration could extend to sharing patient loads between public and private facilities, creating a more integrated system. This approach is especially relevant in African countries where dual public-private healthcare systems exist, but don’t always work together optimally. Ultimately, this is a human resource strategy at its core—focused on optimizing service delivery.
EF: What services are clients requesting the most and how does this vary across Africa?
WS: Most of Deloitte’s clients are audit clients. Auditing plays a critical role in fostering trust in a company's financial stability, which is essential for creating an investment-friendly environment that supports capital expenditure and growth. Deloitte's audit services, along with its business advisory and forecasting, help build this trust, making it a key partner in economic expansion.
Beyond auditing, Deloitte is deeply involved in the international aid space, working with organizations like USAID and FCDO. These projects, particularly in East Africa, focus on systemic challenges and often involve large-scale initiatives. Our expertise in supply chain management, including cold chain logistics, has allowed us to enhance healthcare delivery, as seen during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, where we helped optimize routes and bring services closer to communities.
In addition, Deloitte’s work with pharmaceutical companies involves innovative market access strategies. Many African countries face challenges with their Essential Medicines Lists (EMLs), which dictate which medicines are approved for national procurement. This often means that more expensive but potentially more effective drugs are left out. Our market access models focus on quantifying the long-term benefits of these innovative medicines, demonstrating that while they may have a higher initial cost, they can reduce hospitalizations, improve patient outcomes, and decrease the overall economic burden.
This approach requires a shift in thinking—looking beyond the entry price of a product to consider the entire patient journey and its broader impact on the healthcare system and economy. Although we are still working to convince stakeholders to adopt these models, we believe that a more holistic perspective on healthcare costs can ultimately benefit patients, communities, and funders alike.
EF: How would you define the three key pillars that a health and life sciences business needs to adapt to the evolving structures in Africa?
WS: The first key pillar is the responsible use of digitization strategies. It is important to recognize that simply adding technology to a broken system does not solve the problem—it can even exacerbate it, leading to high costs without tangible improvements. Instead, digital solutions should be tools that support and refine existing processes, making them more efficient. Businesses need a well-thought-out digital strategy that spans their entire operations and places key stakeholders at its core, avoiding the common pitfall of wasting resources on technology without proper integration.
The second pillar is seeing the client as a whole. The demographic landscape has changed, with younger generations having different expectations around brand interaction and trust. To build this trust, health and life sciences businesses need to engage with clients early on, give them agency over their healthcare decisions, and offer services that go beyond traditional care, such as wellness programs and fitness initiatives.
The third pillar is adapting operations for efficiency. Businesses in the health sector must be willing to rethink their processes to remain competitive. By staying agile and open to new methods, health and life sciences businesses can adapt to changing environments and ensure sustainable growth.
EF: How does Deloitte work across the various markets in English-speaking Africa and how do you see the market evolving in the future?
WS: Whenever opportunities arise, we draw on the expertise across our firm. This collaborative model is one of the reasons I joined Deloitte—I value having access to a diverse pool of experts to solve problems effectively.
When selecting partners or clients to work with, alignment with our core values is crucial. We also consider their credibility in the market and perform detailed risk assessments. For us, it is about working with organizations that align with Deloitte’s values, ensuring a shared vision and a smooth working dynamic.
EF: What trends do you see coming in the future in terms of manufacturing?
WS: In December 2023, we had a think tank focused on these trends, particularly the natural move towards consolidation among funders, which is being driven by inflation. Health schemes are absorbing each other, leading to market concentration—a trend unlikely to change anytime soon. This has significant implications, for instance, with South Africa's National Health Insurance (NHI) program gaining more attention as a result.
Across Africa, we are observing a similar trend with the rise of public-private health insurance, largely due to declining government expenditure and limited ability to expand healthcare spending. The trend could only reverse if there were substantial economic improvements in these countries.
Local manufacturing is another key area of focus. In countries like Ghana, there has been significant investment in building vaccine centers, with the Africa CDC driving investment efforts. Many pharmaceutical companies are expanding their presence, recognizing that local manufacturing is becoming more attractive due to economic factors like currency depreciation. This shift allows for more resilience and reduced dependency on imports.
Additionally, there is an ongoing conversation around climate control and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards. Deloitte is actively encouraging clients to adopt compliant practices ahead of future regulations. It is important to balance navigating these challenges with identifying opportunities. Even as funding sources—both internal and external—diminish, there are still chances for strategic investment and growth.
The situation regarding technology transfer in Africa has significant opportunities. Despite initial investments in technology transfer and mentorship, there is an opportunity to provide ongoing support to operate effectively.
To improve outcomes, I recommend that technology transfers should be accompanied by comprehensive mentorship programs lasting several years. It is crucial not to assume that once the technology is transferred and initial support is provided, everything will function seamlessly. The success of such initiatives in Africa has been limited, underscoring the need for a more integrated and sustained approach to technology transfer.
EF: What change would you like to see in the African market a year from now?
WS: I would like to see Africans take charge of their own health. This means knowing your numbers and understanding what is good for you. The beauty of Africa lies in the fact that Africans are prepared to take things slow and to be balanced. However, I see a massive rise in mental health issues.
Africa must not forget what makes it special, which is the ability to view things in context and integrate that understanding with health. I would love to see this movement happen, particularly among young people.
In terms of our aging population, I think this is a very important topic as well. Africa has one of the highest rates of acceleration towards obesity, diabetes, and diseases related to lifestyle. This is concerning because it represents a silent pandemic. Africa does not have the resources to cope with this issue, and it is not equipped to handle it. This is a real disaster that is occurring.
