Lender grants Sh796m to drugs development
African Development Bank (AfDB) has given a Sh796 million grant for the development of Kenya’s pharmaceutical industry and those in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
To be implemented over a three-year period from 2023-2025, the funding is meant to build capacity within pharmaceutical regulatory bodies, product quality control and management systems, and research and development institutions.
The project will directly benefit public institutions responsible for the pharmaceutical industry’s development, such as national drug regulatory authorities, quality control laboratories, regional pharmacy training providers, universities, and research centres.
The aim is to achieve a high level status for manufacturing and marketing of safe, quality pharmaceutical products for Covid-19 and other diseases.
An information platform for pharmaceutical manufacturers, importers and exporters will also be created in line with the project plan.
Dependent on imports
Leila Mokaddem, the African Development Bank’s director general for Southern Africa said the grant is specifically meant to support the pharmaceutical sector to “produce safe essential medicines locally” for the needs of the population, and will specifically target women and children.
Most countries in the region have a weak and underdeveloped pharmaceutical industry. The region is also heavily dependent on imports for most of its medical supplies.
With low local pharmaceutical production, there is a high prevalence of counterfeit pharmaceutical products in circulation, which has serious consequences for the welfare of the region’s people.
