By Our Reporter
Parliament's Health and HIV/AIDS Committee has called on the government to guarantee a market for medicines manufactured locally, warning that the sustainability of investments in pharmaceutical factories will depend on manufacturers having reliable buyers for their products.
The committee, chaired by Dr Zeyana Hamid, made the call during an inspection of pharmaceutical factory construction projects in Dar es Salaam on October 24, 2026, where it expressed satisfaction with the pace of implementation.
The development comes as Tanzania seeks to expand domestic pharmaceutical production, reduce dependence on imported medicines and strengthen the availability of essential drugs in health facilities.
While commending progress in the construction of the factories, the committee stressed that completing the projects would not be enough unless the government also addressed the market challenges that could affect their long-term operations.
It advised the government to put in place mechanisms that would ensure locally manufactured medicines have a reliable market, enabling investors to sell their products, sustain production and expand operations.
Speaking during the visit, Deputy Minister for Health Dr Florence Samizi, representing Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa, said the government was committed to strengthening domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing through the construction and development of drug factories.
She said the ongoing investments reflected the government's determination to increase local production of medicines needed by health facilities while reducing expenditure on imports.
For the committee, however, the economic benefits of the investments should extend beyond pharmaceutical production to employment creation and opportunities for local businesses.
Dr Hamid urged investors to prioritise Tanzanians when recruiting workers, saying the expansion of the pharmaceutical industry should translate into jobs, higher household incomes and broader economic benefits.
She also called for the use of locally available construction materials and supplies in developing the factories instead of relying excessively on imported products.
Such an approach, she said, would create business opportunities for domestic suppliers, increase the circulation of money within the economy and help lower construction costs.
The committee's recommendations point to the need for a broader strategy that links pharmaceutical manufacturing with public procurement, local employment and domestic supply chains.
Securing a market for locally produced medicines would be particularly important in ensuring that factories remain commercially viable after construction and contribute to a more reliable supply of medicines.
The committee said strengthening domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing was essential to building the country's production capacity, creating employment and ensuring sustainable access to medicines for Tanzanians.