African countries grouped by region

The groups below help you find the right country. Countries in the same group do not share medicine rules.

  • Detailed guide: South Africa.
  • North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. Western Sahara needs its own destination check.
  • West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
  • Central Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
  • East Africa and Indian Ocean: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • Southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. Island territories need their own check.

Check the national product record first

Find the country's medicine authority. Then ask a locally licensed doctor or pharmacist about the exact product you use.

A South African registration does not show approval anywhere else on the continent. Nor does approval in the UK, the EU or the US. Search the active ingredient and the presentation separately. Ask whether you would receive a locally registered product or a one-off exceptional import.

SAHPRA warnings target specific products

SAHPRA has acted against particular unregistered GLP-1 products and manufacturing set-ups. Those cases are a reason to check product identity and the supply chain with care. They do not make all GLP-1 treatment illegal in South Africa.

A vial sold as a peptide, a compounded preparation and a registered finished medicine each raise different questions. Ask the supplier to name the product and the pharmacy responsible for it.

Plan supply and storage before long trips

Before a long trip or a stay far from a large town, ask your doctor how to keep your care going. Find a reliable pharmacy contact at your destination.

Talk through storage for your exact product on flights, on the road and when you change accommodation. Keep the original packaging, your prescriptions and a treatment summary. If a delivery arrives late or has sat in unknown conditions, ask a pharmacist to check it before you use it.

Confirm Mounjaro, Wegovy and Foundayo status locally

The country list above does not confirm whether Mounjaro, Wegovy injection, Wegovy tablets or Foundayo are authorised in each country. Check the current product list with the national regulator before you buy.

Sort out the product, prescriber, supplier, cost and import questions one by one. A neighbouring country's rules, a regional online advert or a seller who will post a parcel tells you nothing about the rules where you live.

Country guides in this region

Sources

Your own medicine leaflet and prescriber come first. A source from another country does not mean the same rule applies in the UK.

  1. SAHPRA: GLP-1 enforcement action sahpra.org.za
  2. SAHPRA: semaglutide information sahpra.org.za

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