Tanzania Targets 50% Cut in Medicine Imports by 2030: Official
Tanzania Targets 50% Cut in Medicine Imports by 2030: Official
Tanzania is ramping up efforts to achieve greater self-reliance in healthcare by expanding local production of medicines and medical devices, Yonah Mwalwisi, Director of Human and Veterinary Medicines at the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority, told Sputnik Africa.
The government is actively creating a favorable environment for investors through industrial parks, streamlined approval processes, and a range of financial incentives designed to attract pharmaceutical manufacturers and technology providers, according to Mwalwisi.
One key incentive is the reduced cost of market authorization. While foreign-made products pay nearly $2,000 in registration fees, locally manufactured medicines are charged about $400. Approval timelines are also significantly shorter for domestic producers.
Mwalwisi said several factors position Tanzania to become a regional hub for health manufacturing, including:
🟠Its strategic location in East and Southern Africa;
🟠Well-developed transport infrastructure, including seaports and tarmac road networks;
🟠Access to a vast regional market of nearly 600 million people across the East African Community and SADC.
He also highlighted the availability of skilled technical staff to support the sector’s growth, expressing confidence that Tanzania’s ambition to become a continental health manufacturing hub will be realized in the coming years.
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