Zimbabwe’s drive toward medicine self-sufficiency is gaining momentum, with the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) set to establish two manufacturing plants and new warehouses in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The old NatPharm warehouse has already been cleared to make way for a regional pharmaceutical plant, while operations have shifted to a new modern facility. Two additional manufacturing sites will be established outside Harare, marking a major transformation from a distribution-focused entity to a producer of essential medicines.
The initiative supports Government’s push under NDS2 to expand local drug production, reduce import dependency and strengthen national health security, guided by the country’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy.
NatPharm Managing Director Newman Madzikwa said the expansion aligns with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 growth targets.
“In NDS2, we are planning to accelerate all the plans that we had in NDS1 to ensure that by 2030 we meet national expectations. We plan to manufacture in different regions of the country, with at least two manufacturing sites outside Harare in the spirit of promoting devolution,” he said.
He added that the old warehouse will be demolished and replaced with a state-of-the-art facility designed to support the requirements of an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Zimbabwe aims to increase the share of locally produced medicines from under 30 percent in 2024 to at least 60 percent by 2030. This will be achieved through investment in modern production technology, adherence to good manufacturing practices, and support for research and development in drug formulation and biotechnology.
“Currently, with other players, we have around 30 percent market share. We are supporting current manufacturers to expand, and as NatPharm joins the manufacturing sector, our own contribution will push us toward the 60 percent target,” Mr Madzikwa added.
To complement the industrial drive, Government is working to strengthen regulatory and policy frameworks by tightening import rationalisation, enhancing the role of the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, and offering targeted fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for pharmaceutical investors.
As NDS2 implementation accelerates, the establishment of these manufacturing plants positions NatPharm at the core of Zimbabwe’s efforts to build a resilient, competitive and self-sustaining pharmaceutical sector.
