The Government of Tanzania has announced a formal policy shift to accelerate domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, with the objective of positioning the country as a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.
The announcement was made on 23 December 2025 during a high-level meeting with pharmaceutical manufacturers and health sector stakeholders.
The Minister for Health, Mohamed Mchengerwa, said the development of pharmaceutical manufacturing is now a confirmed national policy direction rather than a long-term aspiration.
He stated that Tanzania’s health security strategy will prioritize local manufacturing that complies with internationally recognized quality standards, particularly World Health Organization Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP).
The Minister said Tanzania’s low participation in pharmaceutical exports is linked to standards compliance rather than market access, noting that in 2023, Tanzania exported less than USD 1 million in pharmaceutical products, compared with more than USD 140 million exported by Kenya.
To support pharmaceutical industrialization, the Government has introduced a Green-Lane Approval System under the Pharmaceutical Investment Acceleration Programme to fast-track strategic pharmaceutical investments.
The Government has also established the Pharmaceutical Investment Acceleration Taskforce (PIAT), an inter-institutional body mandated to coordinate and accelerate decisions related to licensing, land access, regulation, utilities, finance, and public procurement.
According to the Ministry of Health, the reforms are intended to reduce administrative delays and provide investors with predictable and timely approval processes.
Commenting on the policy, Minister Mchengerwa said: “The development of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Tanzania is not an experiment—it is a strategic direction that has already been decided by the Government. WHO-GMP is not a luxury and not a decorative certificate—it is the passport to access the global pharmaceutical market. We will not protect production simply because it is local. We will protect production that meets global standards.”
The Government has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting local and international investors to establish pharmaceutical and health product manufacturing facilities in Tanzania.
The initiative targets markets in East Africa, the Southern African Development Community, and other African regions.
The EOI is intended to attract domestic and foreign investment, promote joint ventures and technology transfer, and accelerate compliance with WHO-GMP and other international standards.
The submission deadline for the EOI is 2nd March 2026.
