**Abstract**

Growing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa has necessitated the need for increased medicine use among the African population. Owing to the limited manufacturing capacity of medicines in the subcontinent, it became imperative for governments and Central Medical Stores to source medicines from countries such as India, Bangladesh and China. Such procurements were due to the affordability of generic products manufactured by manufacturers in these countries compared to innovator s, which might come at exorbitant prices and costs that might be prohibitive for most developing countries such as the ones in sub-Saharan Africa. Ascertaining the quality and efficacy of these products are always reliant on the judgment of national regulatory authorities (NRA), which might be ill equipped in most instances; human capacity both in knowledge and number are some of the banes of such NRAs. Aforesaid, pharmacovigilance does not take the front seat in most discussions rather the burden of diseases, thus the emphasis on medicines availability. Different researchers have highlighted the link between medicines/drugs availability and the need for pharmacovigilance among healthcare workers, policy makers and patients. Such approach will tend to limit the procurement of medicines that are substandard, falsified or fake, with the aim of protecting public health.

**Keywords:** sub-Saharan Africa, pharmacovigilance, students
