A consultation forum between pharmaceutical manufacturer industries and stakeholders to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical industry sector of today, has successfully been had on Friday, May 13, 2022 at the Skylight Hotel, in Addis Ababa.
H.E Dr. Liya Tadesse, Minister of Health, who was present at the discussion explained that Ethiopia currently uses more than 85% of the medicines and medical equipment from foreign countries. She underlined that the ministry as per the proposed national strategy, is working to replace 60 percent of medicines and medical devices in the next five years with local products.
With the production and productivity of domestic pharmaceutical and medical equipment declining from time to time owing to a myriad of challenges such as shortage in foreign currency and raw materials, the forum created a platform where manufacturers and investors involved in the pharmaceutical industry shared their hurdles with way forwards being looked into.
“Strengthened pharmaceutical manufacturing in Ethiopia, with focus on medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, will contribute a lot towards achieving the goals set for holistic growth and development. This requires strong collaboration among stakeholders (Universities, TVET Institutions, Research Institutions, Industry, Community, etc) at all levels,” remarked, Prof. Afework Kassu, AHRI-Director General, whilst stressing that collaboration in this space is highly required to make a lasting difference.