Tanzania and Algeria are seeking to deepen cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, with discussions focused on technology transfer, technical expertise and investment to strengthen Tanzania’s domestic production capacity and create opportunities to supply medicines and medical equipment to wider African markets.
The latest development followed a meeting in Algiers between Tanzanian Ambassador to Algeria, Mobhare Matinyi, and Algerian Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Dr. Wassim Kouidri, at the ministry’s headquarters. The two officials discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry, which Tanzania is increasingly viewing as both a public-health priority and an industrial opportunity. Expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing is closely connected to Tanzania’s efforts to reduce its dependence on imported medicines and establish a more secure domestic health-supply system.
The Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) says the country remains heavily reliant on imports for medicines and medical devices, while the Government has set a target of achieving 80 percent local production of health products by 2030. Against this backdrop, Ambassador Matinyi told Dr. Kouidri that the Tanzanian Government has introduced special incentives to attract investment into the pharmaceutical industry. Five factories are already under construction, with further investments expected. According to TMDA, investors can access fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, including exemptions and reductions on selected taxes, duties and regulatory fees, expedited regulatory processes and other measures intended to facilitate investment.
Tanzania also wants the expansion of production to serve markets beyond its domestic borders. Ambassador Matinyi highlighted the country’s strategic geographical position and growing manufacturing ambitions as foundations for an export-oriented pharmaceutical industry.
“Our government is determined to turn Tanzania into an export hub for pharmaceutical and medical equipment in the eastern, central and southern African region, which has a population of approximately 350 million people,” said Ambassador Matinyi.
Algeria Offers Manufacturing and Regulatory Expertise
The cooperation also provides Tanzania with an opportunity to draw on Algeria’s established pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities. Algeria has developed one of Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors. In 2025, Algerian authorities said the country had nearly 230 pharmaceutical factories out of 649 across the continent, representing more than one-third of Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing establishments.
The World Health Organization has also highlighted Algeria’s progress, noting that the country has more than 230 manufacturers and produces about 82 percent of its pharmaceutical needs locally. This experience could help Tanzania develop capabilities extending beyond conventional trade, including industrial know-how, manufacturing processes, regulatory systems, professional training and technology transfer.
Dr. Kouidri pledged Algeria’s support in helping Tanzania access critical expertise in pharmaceutical and medical equipment production.
“Tanzania is certainly located in a strategic part of the continent of Africa, and Algeria is open to cooperate with it in the transfer of technology to ensure it achieves its industrial objectives,” said Dr. Kouidri.
Technology transfer is particularly important because pharmaceutical manufacturing requires capabilities in formulation, quality control, Good Manufacturing Practices, validation, packaging and storage, as well as the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and other higher-value inputs at more advanced stages.
Regulatory cooperation is also emerging as an important part of the partnership. Ambassador Matinyi commended the Algerian National Pharmaceutical Products Authority (ANPP), which is expected to visit Tanzania later in October this year at the invitation of TMDA to explore technical cooperation.
Tanzania became the first confirmed country in Africa to achieve WHO Maturity Level 3 under the Global Benchmarking Tool in 2018. WHO describes ML3 as a stable, well-functioning and integrated regulatory system, while ML4 represents the highest level, characterised by advanced performance and continuous improvement. Tanzania’s regulatory position supports its industrial ambitions, particularly as export-oriented production requires confidence that locally manufactured and imported medicines consistently meet standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
The wider African regulatory landscape has also progressed, with WHO reporting in 2024 that Senegal and Rwanda had become the seventh and eighth African countries to attain ML3, joining Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Tanzania has also pursued engagement with Algerian pharmaceutical manufacturers and the ANPP, identifying opportunities involving training, technology transfer, medical-device inspection and regulatory strengthening. Algerian manufacturers have expressed interest in registering products in Tanzania, supplying medicines to the Tanzanian market and potentially establishing manufacturing operations in the country, initially through activities such as secondary packaging and later moving towards full-scale production.
The Medical Stores Department says Tanzania currently sources approximately 80 percent of medicines and 90 percent of medical supplies from various countries, while the Government is prioritising local procurement to encourage domestic manufacturing. Reducing this dependence will require sustained investment, competitive production, reliable electricity and water, access to finance, skilled human resources, research and development, efficient regulation and predictable government procurement.
The Tanzania-Algeria discussions therefore bring together Tanzania’s market, strategic location, regulatory foundation and policy ambition with Algeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing experience and technological expertise, potentially supporting Tanzania’s ambition to become a pharmaceutical manufacturing and export hub for the continent.
