Namibia is pushing for the expansion of pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing in Southern Africa as the region seeks to reduce its dependence on imported medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices.
National Planning Commission (NPC) Director Kaire Mbuende said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks faced by countries with limited domestic manufacturing capacity when international supply chains are disrupted.
Speaking on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the fifth Southern Africa Regional Ministerial Steering Committee meeting in Windhoek, Mbuende said building regional manufacturing capacity should form part of efforts to create a more self-reliant health system.
During the pandemic, countries competed for vaccines, medicines, protective equipment and diagnostic products, leaving countries heavily dependent on international suppliers vulnerable to shortages and delays.
Mbuende said Southern Africa should use those lessons to accelerate the production of critical health products within the region.
“Regional manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices is not only a matter of health security. It is also an engine of industrialisation, skills development and job creation,” Mbuende said.
The manufacturing push could also provide Southern African countries with an opportunity to develop pharmaceutical industries capable of supporting industrialisation, creating skilled employment and strengthening research capacity.
Mbuende said this would require investment beyond manufacturing plants, including greater support for researchers, laboratories, clinical trial capacity and institutions of learning.
The objective, he said, should be to enable the region to contribute to the development of medical technologies and solutions rather than remaining predominantly a consumer of products developed elsewhere.
“It challenges us to strengthen domestic financing, expand access to universal health coverage, deepen research and innovation, and accelerate the local manufacture of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices,” Mbuende said.
He said stronger domestic health financing and expanded universal health coverage would also be necessary to build resilient health systems capable of responding to future health emergencies.
The government is further calling for improved regional disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, early-warning systems and information sharing between countries.
Mbuende said outbreaks detected in one country should trigger coordinated responses across neighbouring states, reflecting the cross-border nature of health threats.
Climate change is adding to those risks through droughts, floods, unsafe water and food insecurity, increasing the need for Southern African countries to strengthen cooperation across human, animal and environmental health systems.
The regional manufacturing push therefore places pharmaceutical production alongside research, financing and disease surveillance as key elements of Southern Africa’s efforts to reduce external dependence and strengthen its ability to respond to future health emergencies.
