UAE pharmaceutical firm eyes Zimbabwe

Dubai (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe government on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Intrapharm, a United Arab Emirates healthcare and pharmaceutical company which is keen on setting up production and distribution operations in the Southern African country.
Intrapharm FZCO is one of the United Arab Emirate’s leading procurement and supply chain Management Company specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
The MoU is in line with the 2021-2025 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy, which aims to boost local production of drugs from the current 12 percent to 35 percent.
The strategy, which was launched in June this year, also seeks to increase local production of essential medicines from $31.5 million to $150 million by 2025 and to improve exports of pharmaceutical products from 10 percent to 25 percent by 2025.
The MoU was signed by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube on behalf of the Zimbabwe government and Intrapharm group board chairman Engineer Ibrahim Yousef Ramel.
Vice President, General Constantino Chiwenga (Rtd), who also doubles up as Health and Child Care Minister witnessed the signing ceremony.
Prof Ncube told the media that Intrapharm was interested in the production and distribution of pharmaceutical products.
“This will bolster Zimbabwe’s position as a regional hub in the pharmaceuticals sector, we are pleased to be partnering and cooperating with the Intapharm group here in the UAE,” he said.
“Our pharmaceutical sector in Zimbabwe needs a boost, I think the advent of Covid-19 and other challenges has made it clearer to us that we need to boost that sector and that is why the government launched the pharmaceutical industry development strategy but also the health sector development strategy, both of which refer to the need to grow the pharmaceutical sector in response to the health challenges that we experienced in the country and in the region. We see this as a growth area but it would also allow us to invest in the human capital so required to make this area a success.”
Prof Ncube said an Intrapharm delegation would visit Zimbabwe in the next two months.
“They will be in Zimbabwe in two months to move us to the next stage,” he said.
Yousef Ramel said his company was eager to invest in Zimbabwe.
“The partnership between the two governments is very strong so definitely we are fulfilling the commitment of our leaders,” he said.
New Ziana