Dodoma. Tanzania is targeting to produce 80 per cent of its domestic demand for medicines and health products by 2030, with the government directing the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) to strengthen regulation while creating an environment that attracts investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa said on Monday, October 19, 2026, that stronger regulatory systems, timely registration of medicines and professional inspection of pharmaceutical factories would be critical to achieving the target without compromising the safety and quality of medical products.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Ministry of Health's Advisory Board for TMDA in Dodoma, he said the authority must balance strict regulation with efforts to encourage domestic and foreign investors to establish and expand pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in Tanzania.
“Our agenda should be medicine regulation, attracting domestic and foreign investors, and ensuring that by 2030 the country has the capacity to produce its own medicines,” he said.
The target is intended to reduce reliance on imported medicines, retain foreign exchange within the economy, create jobs and increase government revenue. However, achieving it will require regulatory systems capable of supporting industrial expansion while protecting patients from substandard and unsafe products.
Mchengerwa said TMDA should ensure locally manufactured medicines are registered efficiently, while factory inspections must maintain high standards of professionalism and integrity.
“A strong regulator is the foundation of the pharmaceutical economy,” he said, emphasising the authority's role in building confidence in locally produced medicines and improving their competitiveness in international markets.
He added that the country's Development Vision 2050 recognises healthcare as an important pillar of economic development, making pharmaceutical manufacturing and effective regulation essential to the government's long-term industrialisation ambitions.
The minister also directed TMDA to integrate its information and communications technology systems with those of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to ensure that insurance payments cover only medicines registered by the regulator.
He said the integration would enable insurance systems to verify the registration status of medicines before approving payments, strengthening accountability in the use of insurance funds and discouraging the circulation of products that do not meet regulatory requirements.
“A medicine that is not registered by TMDA should not be paid for by anyone's health insurance. That is an additional weapon in this fight,” Mchengerwa said.
The measure is expected to reinforce medicine regulation by linking market authorisation to reimbursement, making it more difficult for unregistered products to enter the health financing system.
Mchengerwa further warned that counterfeit medicines and substandard health products posed a direct threat to public health, insisting that TMDA must make independent decisions based on scientific evidence rather than pressure from investors or other interests.
“A regulator that is afraid is not a regulator; it is merely a rubber stamp,” he said.
He instructed the advisory board to strengthen market surveillance and use technology to track health products from manufacturing facilities to end users.
The minister also called for closer cooperation between TMDA, the Tanzania Revenue Authority, the Police Force, port authorities, immigration officials and local government authorities to curb the importation and distribution of unsafe medical products.
He said protecting patients must remain the regulator's overriding responsibility, including when considering applications for the registration of medicines and other health products.
The newly appointed advisory board has pledged to support TMDA's efforts to attain Maturity Level 4, the highest level in the World Health Organisation's (WHO) framework for assessing the maturity of national regulatory authorities.
Board chairman Seif Rashid said the members understood the responsibility entrusted to them and would work to strengthen the authority's performance and accountability.
“My colleagues and I have accepted this responsibility. The shoes you have given us are big, but we will wear them, and we promise to reach Level Four maturity in accordance with World Health Organisation standards,” he said.
TMDA director general Adam Fimbo said the authority had already attained Maturity Level 3 in the global assessment of medicines and medical devices regulation.
He said its laboratories in Mwanza, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam met international requirements, while the authority also operated a vaccine quality control centre of excellence in Africa. Construction of an additional building was nearing completion.
Fimbo said TMDA had also invested in infrastructure, including an incinerator at Nala in Dodoma, and continued to receive clean audit reports from the Controller and Auditor General.
The authority's revenue had increased from TZS40 billion to TZS47 billion, while it had paid TZS21 billion in dividends to the government, he said.
The number of pharmaceutical manufacturing industries under the authority's oversight had also increased from 12 to 19, reflecting growth in domestic manufacturing capacity.
Established in 2003 as the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority before being renamed TMDA, the regulator is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices available in the country meet the required standards of safety, quality and efficacy.
The government's 2030 production target will therefore depend not only on expanding manufacturing capacity but also on strengthening regulatory oversight, attracting sustainable investment and ensuring that locally produced medicines remain safe and affordable for patients.