A US$12 million grant will help fast-track a foundation being set up in Kigali, Rwanda, to oversee the local manufacture of pharmaceuticals in East Africa.

The AfDB approved the establishment of African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation in 2022 to help countries access the technology to manufacture medicines and vaccines locally. It signed a host country agreement with Rwanda in 2023, reports Africa Business Communities.

Now following a grant worth almost US$12 million from the AfDB’s African Development Fund and the Rwandan government, the foundation will be able to buy office equipment and recruit experts and technical firms to provide a range of specialist health and pharmaceutical services.

‘The leading-edge research and technological innovations of the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation should improve health-care outcomes by providing access to advanced medicines and treatments, tackling prevalent diseases and contributing to the continent’s overall health resilience,’ says Aissa Touré Sarr, head of the AfDB’s Rwanda country office.

The foundation will monitor the quality and safety of pharmaceutical products and facilitate a regional mutual recognition system for the manufacture of medicines in the region. It will also help to evaluate manufacturing practices and documentation for medicines; investigate medical products; and monitor after-market activities related to antibiotics.

12 March 2024
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