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Senegalese are protesting over claims that the Chinese company Softcare used expired or unsafe materials in sanitary pads and diapers.
About 1,300 kilogrammes (2,865 pounds) of expired raw materials, including polyethene film, were discovered at Softcare’s local factory, according to a December report from the Senegalese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP).
Until the manufacturing process is “brought into compliance,” the agency requested that the company remove the products from the market.
Softcare’s documents, according to ARP, revealed that “expired raw materials were not incorporated into the production process” eight days later.
Moussa Diallo, the official in charge of the Softcare inspection mission, and two other inspectors rejected the Senegalese pharmaceutical regulator’s U-turn.
But the company called the accusations “unfounded,” “defamatory,” and “slanderous.” Softcare stated the materials were never used “before or after” the controversy. It added that the material is in a disused warehouse, awaiting destruction.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians and citizen groups criticised authorities for a delayed response. MP Guy Marius Sagna told protesters at a January rally, “Enough is enough!”
Doctors and pharmacists told AFP that “such sensitive products, when manufactured with inappropriate materials, can cause irritation, itching, allergies, or even infection.”
Several reports of itching linked to the products have been posted on social media. Pharmacist Alima Niang, active on social media, said multiple women reported problems after using the products.
“I used them twice on my niece’s recommendation but stopped because they made me itch,” Niang wrote in a comment on a TikTok post.
“That was in 2024, and I’m not the only one who experienced itching after using the product,” she wrote.
At the beginning of January, Senegal’s health ministry announced that a “joint investigative mission” would yield “precise” results.
Midway through January, a parliamentary fact-finding mission announced it would hold hearings on the decision to remove the products before reintroducing them.
FRAPP citizen movement member Souleymane Gueye told AFP that the government were “dragging their feet” and pledged more demonstrations.
Softcare is a subsidiary of the Chinese group Sunda International, which operates across Africa, including in Kenya, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Uganda, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
