The board of the Namibian Competition Commissioners will decide within 30 days whether to reject or approve the proposal between CFAO Healthcare Societe Anonyme and NAMPHARM.

This was said on Friday at a stakeholder's conference on the proposed merger between the two entities.

The conference is held as one of the tools the Commission utilises in its fact-finding processes for the assessment of a merger.

CFAO is a French-based pharmaceutical logistics and distribution company owned by the Toyota Tsusho Corporation. They manufacture, import, and legally distribute high-quality medical supplies and prescription drugs.

Speaking at the conference, Chief Executive Officer of CFAO Healthcare in Southern Africa, Philippe Franiatte, explained that the meeting was to engage with the competition authorities in Namibia for the approval of a strategic partnership with NAMPHARM.

Franiatte said NAMPHARM is known to a lot of Namibians as a reliable supplier of medicines to the country, and as CFAO Healthcare, they have, over the past 75 years, built a unique solution across Africa to secure access to quality medicines across the continent.

He also emphasised the partnership's goal to improve the supply and access to quality medicines in Namibia.

"We engaged with NAMPHARM because we think we can further support them to improve their supply, and that together we can improve access to quality medicines for the people of Namibia."

He also said that they vet the products before importing them, in which the Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) determines the quality and the standard of the products.

The Chief Executive Officer of NAMPHARM, Nian Berg, highlighted the need for international support, citing a merger with CFAO Healthcare, a well-established African company, to enhance their capabilities and supply chains.

"We believe in working together, and we believe in expanding, and we believe in serving the Namibian community. And by that, we require some support, international support, and that's why we're based with the current merger and acquisition with a well-known and established company called CFIO, and they've been in Africa for decades, and they've got the knowledge, and they've got the support, and the access we require to grow and continuously supply medicine to the Namibian public."

The proposed acquisition of Nampharm by CFAO Healthcare is a horizontal merger in the pharmaceutical distribution sector.

If approved, the deal will expand CFAO Healthcare's presence in Namibia while integrating Nampharm into its wider African network.

The merger is filed with the Namibia Competition Commission and is expected to face regulatory scrutiny over its potential impact on competition in the local pharmaceutical market.