GS1 Egypt Launches Largest National Initiative to Train 10,000 Pharmaceutical Professionals on Drug Traceability System
GS1 Egypt has announced the launch of the largest training initiative of its kind in Egypt’s pharmaceutical sector, aiming to qualify and upskill 10,000 professionals across drug manufacturers and importers during 2025 and 2026. The initiative comes as part of preparations for the official rollout of Egypt’s national drug traceability system, designed to enhance transparency, safety, and regulatory compliance across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
According to GS1 Egypt, the initiative responds to rapid developments in the pharmaceutical industry and the growing need to ensure operational readiness at all technical and executive levels. The program is intended to accelerate digital transformation within the drug supply chain and support the smooth implementation of the new traceability system in the coming phase.
The initiative focuses on enabling pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and importers to correctly apply GS1 global standards for identification and coding. This will ensure full traceability of every medicine pack across production, packaging, storage, distribution, and delivery to patients, helping reduce operational errors, combat counterfeit drugs, and strengthen companies’ compliance with regulatory requirements.
GS1 Egypt noted that the training targets employees across key departments, including quality assurance, production, supply chain, warehousing, information technology, and packaging. The program is open to large, medium-sized, and emerging pharmaceutical companies alike, reflecting an inclusive approach to raising industry-wide readiness.
Training will follow a blended model combining theoretical and practical components. This includes hands-on workshops conducted inside manufacturing facilities, alongside structured online training programs tailored to different operational roles.
The comprehensive curriculum covers the application of GS1 global standards for product identification, integration of production lines with coding and traceability systems, data exchange mechanisms between companies and regulatory authorities, corrective actions and management of common operational errors, and the technical steps required to connect companies to the national traceability platform. The program also includes standardized assessment tests to verify each participant’s readiness to apply the system effectively in the workplace.
GS1 Egypt emphasized that the initiative is aligned with the technical requirements of regulatory authorities and supports the government’s broader efforts to ensure safe medicines and strengthen oversight mechanisms. The company added that the program will help improve factory readiness for full integration with the national traceability system, reduce the cost of operational errors and unjustified product returns, enhance data quality, and support pharmaceutical exports through compliance with international standards.
The first phase of the initiative, scheduled to begin in mid-December, will cover 100 pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and 50 major importing companies. The program will be rolled out in successive phases through the end of 2026, ultimately encompassing all entities connected to Egypt’s pharmaceutical market.
Commenting on the launch, Ahmed El-Qalla, General Manager of GS1 Egypt, said the organization remains fully committed to supporting the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry through GS1’s global expertise and advanced technologies.
“Training 10,000 professionals is a strategic step to ensure the successful launch of a robust and effective drug traceability system,” El-Qalla said. “This initiative supports the state’s vision of building an advanced pharmaceutical sector based on accurate data and ensuring safe, reliable medicine for patients.”