KENYA – Kenya is set to commission an ultramodern pharmaceutical manufacturing plant at EPZ Athi River in Machakos County with support from Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Bangladesh to boost local production of malaria and diabetes drugs among other essential medicines.
The manufacturing hub will create employment opportunities including additional 500 direct jobs from the plant, lower costs of generic pharmaceutical products and increased foreign exchange earnings from exports of drugs.
Additionally, Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya EPZ Ltd will incentivize and entice up-and-coming international business people to come into the Kenyan manufacturing space while attracting domestic investments into the pharmaceutical industry.
During a meeting between Kenyan dignitaries and visiting senior officials from Bangladesh to discuss the commissioning of the Square Pharmaceuticals plant, it was agreed that Bangladesh would share with Kenya its extensive knowledge in pharmaceutical production and set the required requisite skills.
Honorable officials at the meeting from Kenya include Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina, Principal Secretary for Industrialization Kirimi Kaberia and Director of Industries in-charge of Private Sector Development Stephen Odua.
On the other hand, present visiting officials from Square Pharmaceuticals include the Executive Director Finance and Strategy Muhammad Zahangir Alam, General Manager International Marketing Prosenjit Chakroborty and General Manager Human Resource Fakhrul Hasan.
Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina revealed that the pharmaceutical plant is in its final stages of getting operational licenses from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to permit commercial operations for production of essential medicines
Betty Maina disclosed that the plant which is expected to be the largest in East and Central Africa will be launched in July in an effort to improve the country’s health delivery capacity.
“We agreed that Bangladesh will enter into collaboration with Kenyan Universities on the training of industrial pharmacists along with clinical pharmacists that Kenya is currently training to assist in management of modern pharmaceutical plants,” she added.
She acknowledged the Square Pharmaceuticals company for investing over US$ 75 million in Kenya while recommending the firm to inform other potential investors from Bangladesh to take advantage of Kenya’s conducive business environment and set up manufacturing facilities in the country.
Moreover, the pharma giant is looking to further expand operations into other East African countries namely Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan with an aim to fulfil the unmet demands of medicines in those countries.
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