Operation African Star 2 Strengthens Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Security, Stops Trafficking
Across East Africa
Kampala/Nairobi/Vienna, 30 January 2026
A groundbreaking joint initiative led by the
Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) of Kenya and the
National Drug Authority (NDA) of Uganda, in partnership with national enforcement agencies, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), numerous international partners and the private sector, has taken a major step forward in protecting public health and security of the pharmaceutical supply chains from trafficking across East Africa.
Operation African Star 2, conducted in July 2025, marks an evolution from the 2024 operation adding proactive, technology-driven prevention, traceability and source backtracking capabilities to already powerful pharmaceutical countertrafficking tools. The operation aimed to protect consumers from falsified, substandard, diverted, unauthorized, or otherwise illicitly manufactured pharmaceuticals trafficked into Africa.
At the heart of Operation African Star 2 is the Pharmaceutical Traceability Pilot Programme — the first initiative of its kind in Africa — utilizing the U.S. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Pulse platform combined with the INCB’s IONICS Suite to enhance detection, information exchange and intelligence targeting for governments.
Pulse, a U.S.-developed traceability system based on GS1 global standards, enables real-time scanning and verification of serialized pharmaceutical products throughout the supply chain. Products can be scanned using a smartphone or bar-code reader, allowing regulators to confirm product authenticity and monitor movement from entry point to point of sale. When coupled with INCB’s IONICS, this creates a powerful cross-border intelligence and enforcement ecosystem.
Photo: Pulse scanning GS1 codes, detecting violative pharmaceuticals in the field
Following a global preparatory webinar held on 5 June 2025, Operation African Star 2 brought together over 15 international, regional, and national agencies including INCB, INTERPOL, OECD, UPU, along with numerous Kenyan, Ugandan and U.S. enforcement agencies, and private-sector partners. Training sessions, targeting and piloting were conducted in Nairobi, Kenya (10–11 July 2025) and Kampala, Uganda (14–15 July 2025), with the following results:
- 731 pharmaceutical products scanned across 27 locations,
- 99.9% successful scan rate for products containing GS1 Data Matrix codes,
- 46 products (6%) for identified as falsified, substandard, unauthorized, or diverted,
- 48,000 illicit or violative pharmaceutical units detected by enforcement authorities of both countries, including psychoactive substances.
Photo: Piloting IONICS and Pulse by Governments at shipping locations, warehouses, and point-of-sale locations throughout Nairobi and Kampala
“INCB’s Regional Technical Officers and IONICS Suite ensure that national authorities have the real-time information exchange, analytical tools and the capabilities needed to act decisively against illicit pharmaceutical trade,” noted Matthew Nice, manager for INCB GRIDS. By introducing U.S. developed serialization and digital traceability capabilities, Kenya and Uganda’s health regulatory and law enforcement authorities are strengthening supply chains and enabling backtracking investigations to the sources of violation, strengthening borders, protecting communities and ensuring private sector prosperity against traffickers.
The
Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and
Project ION and
OPIOIDS Project operates under the INCB’s Article 35 mandate of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, supporting governments’ capacity to exchange real-time information on trafficking, illicit manufacture, marketing, and sales of NPS, synthetic opioids, fentanyls, and related chemicals, with the aim of disrupting and interdicting the distribution of dangerous substances.
The operation was made possible by the generous support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).
Click
here to learn more about the GRIDS Programme
Click
here to learn more about the OPIOIDS Project
Click
here to learn more about the Project ION
