Demand for
medical device
coatings is likely
to rise in the near
future due to the
rise in epidemic
and chronic
diseases in Africa.
by Shem Oirere
Africa Correspondent
Leading global consultancy firm KPMG declared two years ago that “Africa is not a healthy continent.” The firm con-
tended that on all health indicators, Africa “lags
behind the rest of the world and poor countries
of South-East and South Asia that were behind
Africa when measured on these metrics a few
decades ago.”
The report said Africa’s health sector objec-
tives have been derailed by pandemics such as
HIV/AIDS, rampant corruption in the sector,
poor infrastructure making some regions inac-
cessible, political instability and conflicts and
rapid population growth.
“All these problems, as well as Africa’s sheer
size and its position on the globe – most of it
is in the tropics where the nastiest germs and
parasites flourish – have made Africans un-
healthier and worse looked after medically, than
the inhabitants of any other continent on earth.”
The analysis would have made a sad read-
ing if Africa’s health sector revolved around the
health indicators only.
But behind the grim picture of the continent’s health segment is a rosy image of a
region that has potential to positively turn
around the growth of the global medical device coatings market. Analysts concur the
continent faces monumental challenges in expanding the health sector, but this economic
segment also plays a key role in ensuring the
projected continental growth of more than 5. 5
percent a year is achieved.
Africa may be at the bottom of the list of
markets that contributed to the global medical
device coatings market total value of $6.63 billion in 2013 and probably has to be lumped
together with the Middle East region if the pie
Prospects Good for Africa
Medical Device Coatings Market
