Dr. Assane Coulibaly

Dr. Assane Coulibaly

Position: Director General, Ivorian Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority
Categories: Pharma Reg Speakers 25

Dr. Assane Coulibaly is a Doctor of Pharmacy, specialized in Industrial Pharmacy since 1991, with over thirty years of outstanding experience in the pharmaceutical sector, including ten years as Deputy Director General.

Formerly the owner of a pharmacy, Dr. Coulibaly brings together deep expertise across both the industrial and distribution spheres of the pharmaceutical field.

He made his mark as President of the Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Côte d’Ivoire (APPCI) from 2012 to 2019, demonstrating his strong commitment to the development of the local pharmaceutical industry. His leadership extended beyond national borders as he also served as Vice-President of the West African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (WAPMA) from 2012 to 2016, and he remains a Permanent Member of the Executive Committee of this association under the aegis of ECOWAS. 

Recognized for his professional excellence and dedication to advancing Good Pharmaceutical Practices, Dr. Assane Coulibaly was awarded the French Academic Prize in Pharmacy in 2022, a distinction that celebrates his exemplary career and his significant contribution to the progress of the pharmaceutical sector.

As a consultant for various international organizations, he works tirelessly to promote Good Practices (GP) across the entire pharmaceutical value chain.

As a speaker, Dr. Coulibaly adresses critical topics such as the relentless fight against counterfeit medicines and the vital importance of regional integration in pharmaceutical policies.

Driven by bold ambitions, his goals include strengthening the regional pharmaceutical value chain, adopting unified standards of Good Pharmaceutical Practices in line with international benchmarks, and progressively fostering local and regional supply of quality, safe, and accessible medicines for all populations.

His expertise, combined with his visionary approach, places this leading figure at the heart of West Africa’s pharmaceutical transformation — a driving force behind the emergence of a strong and sustainable pharmaceutical industry across the region.

Dr. Najiba Al ShezawyMadira Litedu is the Medicine Registration Officer at SAHPRA with over 12 years’ experience. Her job entails evaluating the safety, quality and efficacy aspects of new applications (New chemical entities, generics pre-registration) SAHPRA, ICH, FDA and WHO guidelines for MRF, CTD and eCTD applications. To enhance patient access to medicines, she supervised a PhD student, publishing articles to promote transparency between SAHPRA, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and clinical research organisations. Before joining MCC, she worked as a research scientist at Chemical Process Technologies, developing methods for cost-effective animal healthcare products to match or exceed local & international product trends as well as to satisfy customer expectations. Dr. Litedu obtained her BSc, BSc (Hons), and MSc from the University of the Free State and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Dr. Madira Litedu