Guidance for Market Entry in the Assistive Technology Sector: Focus on select African Countries

In low- and middle-income countries, particularly across Africa, access to assistive technology remains significantly constrained. A key factor limiting access is the complexity of market entry for industry stakeholders, exacerbated by fragmented regulatory frameworks, inconsistent quality standards and unpredictable taxation policies. This report provides a structured, step-by-step guidance for manufacturers, importers and distributors – local, regional or global – aiming to enter African assistive technology markets, with a specific focus on Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

This report also provides an overview of key challenges of market entry in the assistive technology sector for policymakers at country, regional or global levels. The analysis is based on a comprehensive situation assessment combining desk review and key informant interviews with 65 stakeholders active in assistive technology provision across the African continent.

The research identified five essential steps for market entry:

1. Product Certification – National certification processes vary significantly and can be costly and time-consuming. However, compliance with international standards, such as the Conformité Européenne (CE) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO), often facilitates approval.

2. Quality Assurance – Assistive products undergo varying degrees of quality checks at customs, with procedures often inconsistent across different jurisdictions and product categories.

3. Import Procedures – While generally straightforward, import processes benefit from collaboration with local clearing agents to mitigate bureaucratic delays.

4. Duties and Taxes – While some countries offer tax exemptions for assistive products, these policies are often inconsistently applied. Complete assistive products are more likely to qualify for exemptions than their components and parts.

5. Sales and Distribution – Market access is primarily through public procurement and private sector sales. Public procurement processes are frequently fragmented across multiple government entities.

The report highlights key systemic challenges, including unclear regulatory responsibilities among government agencies, the high costs of compliance and limited transparency in public procurement. Additionally, while local production of assistive technology is often proposed as a solution to improve accessibility, its viability remains uncertain due to infrastructure limitations and capital constraints.

Two primary recommendations emerge from this research:

• Simplify and digitize market entry processes – Governments should create clear, streamlined and transparent regulatory pathways for assistive technology industry stakeholders. Digitalizing registration, certification and procurement processes would enhance efficiency and reduce entry barriers.

• Strengthen local distributor and service provider capacity – Manufacturers should invest in knowledge transfer programmes for local distributors and service providers, thereby ensuring they possess the necessary expertise to properly supply, fit, train, repair and maintain assistive products.

By addressing these challenges African countries can benefit from more inclusive and competitive assistive markets, ultimately improving access to assistive technology for millions of individuals in need. Future efforts should also explore harmonized regional policies to facilitate cross-border trade and streamline market entry procedures across multiple countries.