Lusaka, Zambia | 17 October 2025 – The Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from the German Government through the GIZ-implemented Cooperation for the Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration (CESARE) programme, will host the groundbreaking ceremony of the University of Zambia (UNZA) Industrial Pharmacy Laboratory at the Ridgeway Campus in Lusaka.
The upcoming state-of-the-art facility will feature modern lecture and seminar rooms, specialist laboratories in microbiology, formulation, drug discovery, and quality control, as well as production areas for tableting, capsules, granulation, and cream formulation. Scheduled for completion in March 2026, the laboratory will operate under UNZA’s School of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacy, and serve as a fully equipped training site for the SADC Industrial Pharmacy Fellowship Programme (SADC IPFP).
The laboratory will provide industry-aligned training, applied research, and innovation to strengthen regional pharmaceutical value chains and health security. It will enhance practical learning while fostering collaboration between academia and the private sector, ensuring graduates acquire skills demanded by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. The project directly supports the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap by promoting skills development, improving quality standards, and facilitating technology transfer across Member States.
The groundbreaking ceremony will bring together senior representatives from the SADC Secretariat, the German Government, GIZ, and the Presidential Delivery Unit for Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. Zambian participants will include the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, and UNZA leadership. Local pharmaceutical companies, a German private-sector pharmaceutical company, and media representatives will also attend.
Hon. Felix Mutati, Minister of Technology and Science, will officiate as Guest of Honour, highlighting Zambia’s commitment to advancing science, technology, and industrial development. The event will serve as a platform for strategic dialogue and cross-sector collaboration, marking a key milestone in making the pharmaceutical sector in the SADC region more competitive, innovative, and resilient.
The SADC Industrial Pharmacy Fellowship Programme (SADC IPFP), supported by CESARE, links universities with manufacturers for practical training, research placements, and curriculum alignment. Anchored by the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), UNZA (Zambia), and the Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy (Tanzania), and collaborating with regional companies including Chemical Process Technologies and Kiara Health, the programme has delivered pilot exchanges (2023-2025), a competency framework, a regional curriculum structure, and facility upgrades. The IPFP aligns with SADC’s industrialisation goals and contributes to SDGs 3, 4, 8, and 9.
SADC, established in 1980 and transformed in 1992, is an organisation of 16 Member States focused on sustainable and equitable economic growth, socio-economic development, deeper regional integration, and enhanced competitiveness in global markets. Germany has supported SADC since 1961, contributing over 500 million Euros since 1992, with a focus on regional economic integration, pharmaceutical value chains, industrialisation, and access to quality medicines.
The groundbreaking of the UNZA Industrial Pharmacy Laboratory represents a significant step toward strengthening the pharmaceutical sector in Southern Africa and building a skilled workforce to drive regional industrial and health development.