The CPA President & Vice President
The President of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association is the ceremonial head of CPA and the presiding officer of both our Council and Regional Assembly, the two constitutional bodies of CPA at which the interests of our global membership are represented. They are the highest representative voice within the organisation.
Elected to serve a two year term by the CPA Council, the President works closely with the staff team and the Board of Trustees to ensure that the voice of CPA’s membership is represented in the organisation’s advocacy work and campaign priorities. The President also acts as the face of the Association to our members and strategic partners, and is a senior advisor to the Chief Executive Officer on matters of strategy.
The President is assisted in the performance of their duties and occasionally deputised for by a Vice President, also elected by the CPA Council.
The current President and Vice President were elected in 2024 and will serve a two year term expiring in late 2026.
Our President
Annagrace C. Malamsha is a pharmacist registered with the Pharmacy Council of Tanzania and a communication specialist experienced in graphic design, branding, and digital communication management within corporate environments.
She is an active member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Tanzania (PST) and currently serves as a Public Relations & Communication Officer at PST. Annagrace also serves as the Brand and Social Media Lead at the Tanzania AI Community, and the Events & Programs Team Co-Lead at the Tanzania Human Genetics Organization (THGO). Additionally, she is a beneficiary of UN Women’s initiative, AGCCI – Binti Dijitali, which trains and empowers girls with digital skills.
Annagrace is dedicated to using her expertise to support the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA)’s development initiatives, which aim to build a strong and diverse collaborative network among pharmacists, enhance community well-being, and promote sustainable growth across the Commonwealth.
Our Vice President
Kwabena Asante Offei is the Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) and the chairman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee of PSGH. In 2022 he chaired the national committee that developed and implemented Ghana’s electronic pharmacy policy and is currently a member of a three-member committee reviewing Ghana’s pharmacy education policy.
In addition to being a pharmacist, Kwabena is also a lawyer and has a masters degree in Economic Policy Management.
Kwabena started his career as a community for pharmacist and transitioned to become the executive secretary for the pharmaceutical manufacturers association of Ghana (PMAG), and later the executive secretary for the West African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (WAPMA). In these two roles, he spearhead reforms that led to tax exemptions for pharmaceutical raw and packaging materials, contributed to regulatory reforms for pharmaceutical manufacturing and contributed to the initial execution of the pharmaceutical manufacturing plan for Africa.
Kwabena has subsequently worked with Johnson & Johnson as head of government affairs and policy for west and east Africa, focusing on access to mental health and prostate cancer care, as well as access to covid 19 vaccines, and currently works as West Africa head of partnerships and business development for Medtronic Labs, with a focuses on digital health.
Past Chairpersons and Presidents
The spiritual predecessor to the position of President was the position of Chairman of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Conference, the convention that brought together delegates from 28 Associations in 1969 to organise and strengthen Pharmacy across the Commonwealth.
This inaugural meeting was convened by Sir Macfarlane Burnet in his capacity as Chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation. Sir Burnet was a Nobel Prize winning virologist whose commitment to the CPA project came from a place of deep concern about global health inequalities.
On June 16th, the Conference elected Albert Howells to serve as its Chairman. Mr Howells subsequently became President of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association (as CPA was initially known) when its Constitution was formally adopted in January 1970, and his appointment was ratified by the CPA Council in 1971.
Our Immediate Past President
Mary Anne Ciappara was President of CPA from 2022 – 2024, and has served on the CPA Council since 1995. She has had a long career in Maltese pharmacy, both as a community pharmacist and as a senior academic and researcher at the University of Malta. Mary Anne also serves as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Council, as well as an executive member of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations. She has a special professional interest in bioethics and represented Malta on the Committee on Bioethics of the Council of Europe. As our Immediate Past President, Mary Anne continues to serve as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees and of the Regional Assembly.
