The Global Oxygen Alliance Community of Practice formalises consolidation of three pilot countries in efforts to expand medical oxygen access

The Global Oxygen Alliance (GO₂AL) Community of Practice (CoP) is a collaborative platform facilitated by the Access to Medicine Foundation on behalf of GO₂AL to unite a multistakeholder network of key oxygen actors from across the oxygen ecosystem, dedicated to expanding oxygen access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

On 13 November 2025, the Foundation hosted a third roundtable, as part of its broader CoP initiative, focusing on launching separate COPs for three different pilot countries, reviewing regulatory challenges and exploring collaborative opportunities and potential outcomes A total of 38 medical gas companies and organisations joined the discussion, alongside GO₂AL partners. 

Moving from talk to targeted action 

COVID-19 exposed both the fragility and critical importance of oxygen systems worldwide. While emergency investments during the pandemic spurred significant progress, the sharp decline in post-pandemic funding has placed sustainability at risk. This underscores the urgent need for durable public-private partnerships and transparent information-sharing to maintain momentum. 

The two previous March and May GO₂AL CoP roundtables highlighted the need to balance global alignment with a bottom-up approach, identifying country-specific industry challenges and oxygen gaps, and strengthening coordination among stakeholders to support sustainable country-led solutions. Therefore, a key milestone of the roundtable was the formal consolidation of three pilot country CoPs in South Africa, Senegal and Uganda, each with its own membership, monthly meetings and tailored objectives. Collectively, these country CoPs bring together a growing network of oxygen companies and organisations, with 12 in Senegal, 19 in South Africa and 26 in Uganda. 

Key takeaways from the report 

• Technical and market realities: Participants highlighted challenges including varying oxygen purity standards, high regulatory barriers favouring large suppliers, costly import duties and logistics, and ongoing maintenance and power issues that affect sustainable oxygen supply. 

• Tackling regulatory roadblocks to oxygen access in South Africa: Aligning on product classification will help clarify regulatory pathways and ensure coordination. Collaboration with the relevant institutions is needed to update standards and establish engagement channels on regulatory compliance and related regulatory inquiries, which also strengthens dialogue between regulators and companies. Clarifying mandates, aligning priorities between companies and various governmental and regulatory institutions, and mapping the oxygen value chain supports coordinated multi-stakeholder action. 

• Barriers to a sustainable local oxygen market in Uganda: Challenges include fragmented demand, unclear and costly regulatory pathways, rigid procurement policies, and lack of transparent budgeting. Potential solutions include organising reliable and aggregated demand; implementing risk-based regulatory tiering with clear milestones; developing regulatory frameworks and providing capacity building for regulators; adopting flexible procurement systems and generating data to support dedicated budget lines; sustainable financing; and aligned investment planning. 

Looking ahead: country-led solutions for sustainable oxygen access 

The GO₂AL CoP will support the pilot country CoPs and oxygen industry members through three key pillars: navigating regulatory challenges with guidance from WHO and GO₂AL’s resources, facilitating strategic connections with in-country ministries and regulatory bodies, and enhancing stakeholder access to relevant opportunities.  

Monthly country CoP meetings in South Africa, Senegal, and Uganda will focus on identifying and addressing oxygen gaps, testing scalable, industry-informed approaches, and generating insights to inform frameworks for broader expansion of oxygen access across LMICs, while working closely with ministries of health, regulatory authorities, and in-country GO2AL representatives to ensure alignment and support sustainable, country-led solutions.