Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT is moving to transform Zimbabwe’s pharmaceutical industry from an import-dependent sector into a competitive manufacturing base capable of supplying the domestic, regional and continental markets, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by permanent secretary Ambassador Tadeous Chifamba at the Pharmaceutical Industry Conference in Harare on Friday, Minister Ndlovu said Government was working with industry players to develop a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy for 2026–2030 aimed at increasing local production, attracting investment and strengthening the sector’s competitiveness.
He said Zimbabwe had made progress in developing pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, with the number of local manufacturers rising from nine, five years ago to 14, but production remained far below the available potential.
“Zimbabwe now has 14 pharmaceutical manufacturers, up from nine five years ago, with these companies having the capacity to produce approximately 1 500 medicine lines. Yet, despite this capacity, only around 300 products are currently being manufactured locally,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said pharmaceutical imports had exceeded US$1,5 billion over the past five years, while the domestic pharmaceutical market was estimated at about US$400 million annually.
Local manufacturers currently supply only about 20 percent of the domestic market, presenting significant opportunities for further industrialisation and investment.
He said the Government’s strategy will focus on productive capacity, investment, technology, finance, local procurement, research and development, skills development, quality standards, regulatory efficiency, access to pharmaceutical inputs, market development and exports.
“We have to strengthen the entire pharmaceutical ecosystem: production, technology, quality infrastructure, research and development, skills, financing, regulation, procurement, logistics and access to markets,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said Government was also working towards establishing local bioequivalence, bioavailability and pharmaceutical quality-testing capacity at one of the country’s universities.
Minister Ndlovu said strengthening scientific and technical infrastructure was critical to ensuring locally manufactured medicines could be developed, tested, certified and confidently marketed.
He also highlighted Zimbabwe’s attainment of Maturity Level 4 in the World Health Organisation’s regulatory systems assessment, making the country the first in Africa to achieve the level.
However, Minister Ndlovu said the achievement should be used as a springboard to attract investment, deepen technology partnerships and expand market access for locally manufactured medicines.
“The next stage is to convert this regulatory strength into industrial strength,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said investment was required in modern production facilities, specialised equipment, laboratories, quality-control systems, packaging, cold-chain infrastructure, digital technologies and research and development.
He also called for strategic partnerships to facilitate technology transfer, improve management capabilities and open access to international markets.
Zimbabwe, Minister Ndlovu said, should position itself not merely as a market for pharmaceutical companies, but as a manufacturing base serving Zimbabwe, the Southern African Development Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area market.
He said Government procurement will play a key role in creating a predictable market for local manufacturers.
“Where locally manufactured medicines meet the required standards of quality, safety and efficacy and demonstrate value for money, public procurement can support the expansion of domestic manufacturing and provide the market certainty needed for firms to invest, increase production and broaden their product portfolios,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said the recent Government initiative to make available a US$10 million facility for procuring medicines from local pharmaceutical manufacturers was an important demonstration of how public procurement could be aligned with industrial development.
He, however, said localisation should not compromise quality, safety, efficacy, affordability and reliability.
“Our objective is not to protect production regardless of performance; it is to build a competitive industry that earns the confidence of patients, healthcare institutions and markets,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said Zimbabwe’s pharmaceutical ambitions should extend beyond the domestic market, with the AfCFTA providing local manufacturers with access to a much larger continental market.
He said Government, industry, regulators, financial institutions, development partners, universities and healthcare institutions needed to work together to build a resilient pharmaceutical ecosystem.
“The direction is clear. Zimbabwe must move from dependence on imported finished medicines towards greater domestic manufacturing and value addition; from fragmented interventions towards coordinated action; and from producing primarily for the local market towards participating competitively in African pharmaceutical value chains,” he said.
He said the ultimate objective was to build a pharmaceutical industry that strengthens national health security, creates industrial capability, develops skills and technology, attracts investment and contributes to the country’s broader economic transformation under Vision 2030.
Minister Ndlovu called on stakeholders attending the conference to turn discussions into concrete interventions that increase local production, improve capacity utilisation, attract investment, strengthen innovation and expand pharmaceutical exports.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Conference was convened under the theme, “Strengthening Zimbabwe’s Pharma Ecosystem for Resilience and Sustainability.”
