Ethiopia has identified Pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in the second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) as one of the priority areas of development, according to Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC). The area was given attention because of its dual benefit of increasing access to medicines and promoting rapid industrialization of the country.
By 2020 it also aims to become the pharmaceutical manufacturing hub of Africa. The Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (AACCSA) had organized a pharmace uticals manufacturers exhibition here in Addis Ababa last week. The exhibition, which was the first of its kind, has brought together various medical supplies and pharmaceuticals manufacturers from, various countries.
Mulugeta Worku, representative of Pharma International Medicine, from Jordan said that his company has provided medicine to influenza, eczema, and the like during the past more than ten years in Ethiopia. But it has experience of over 20 years in different countries. “The main aim of the company is provide adequate medicine there with affordable price in order to protect community from different diseases in the country.’’ The company has been supplying five medicine items during the past 10 years.
But this number is rising more than fifty items in the actual period, he added. As to him, the exhibition is important to introduce the product and obtain knowledge, experience, and culture of other countries. In this regard, some types of medicine and foods are it perhaps use similar package to protect from bacteria. It indicates the strong relation with agriculture and medicine especially items protect from different disease.
The company also plans to establish medicine factory in Ethiopia in the near future. It will play significant role to reduce shortage of medicine and ensure to persist health community in Ethiopia. This also is playing indispensable role for productivity. Mesenbet Shenkutie, President of Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (AACCSA) said that more than 125 international business companies and investments have discuss each other’s in order to realize common benefit and ensure international competency.
In this regard, an international medicine fairs is joining the business-to-business relation at the first time in this fiscal year. According to the President, among the companies listed above, more than 40 of them are domestic. The main aim of business to business relation is sharing experience and knowledge for the overall sustainable development within the participant companies.
It has also played indispensable role for local business companies to enhancing their business and knowledge. Participation of pharmaceutical companies for the first time in the business forum is helpful to share experience and knowledge from other business and investment participants with better experience. It has also played big role to realize the expected goal for Ethiopia in particular and other business companies in general, she added. Tigist Desalgne, represented a Dutch company called Monarch vegetable Seed providing Company.
The company has more than 90 years’ work experience in different countries and more than 14 years’ experience in Ethiopia. According to Tigist, the main aim of the company is providing special vegetable seeds which is not simply affected by diseases and insects as well as maximizing products and ensure farmers benefit through affordable price. She added that, the Company provides training three times annually. Ethiopia participated in the training for the first time in Tanzania about 14 years ago.
Following these, the company became interested to provide special seeds for Ethiopia, which aims to support more than 80 percent of the total population that make a living from farming. On the other hand, agricultural machinery which protects products from wastage during producing period is significant to the country and able to create good relation between the countries. Beside this, Ethiopian farm extensions they share their knowledge who gain from Holland and return to the country to supervise and inspecting of farmers to attending in the farm land so far.
Ayenalem Nigussie, State Minister of Ministry of Agriculture on her part said that the 12th specialize international Agriculture, food (AGRIFEX-ETHIOPIA), and the first international Medical Fairs signed the business to business relation in order to achieve their common goal. As to her, agriculture has the hub of Ethiopian economy, which shares 45 percent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 85 percent of employment, and 85 percent of exports. Due to this reason, the country has attention to agricultural sector. And the business relation has playing pivotal role to change backward farming to modernize system.
‘’Medical and pharmaceutical has playing deceive role in the development of nation economy there with the Scioeconomic growth in the industrial, agriculture, and health sector.’’ Due to Ethiopia has high attention to modernizing agriculture, medicine is not separate from agriculture. On the other hand, business partners entered agricultural inputs which used to help realize modern agriculture. Particularly, persist of international medicine fairs is significant to Ethiopia specially medicine which have expensive.
It has also playing vital role to reduce shortage of medicine and provide the medicine timely and adequately as well as prevalence coast. Currently, the existence of commitment which the government decide from backward agricultural production system to modernize and the sector is given high attention to technology are a good chance it will be produce sufficient product in Ethiopia, Ayenalem elaborated.
The Ethiopian Herald May 18/2019
BY MESERET BEHAILU
