18/03/2026
MCAZ Contributes to Continental Dialogue on Accelerating Access to African-Made Health Products
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) participated in the Africa CDC African Manufacturing Pre-Marketplace Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 12–13 March 2026, under the theme “From Commitment to Commercialisation: Unlocking Markets for African-Made Health Products.”
The high-level forum, convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in collaboration with global and regional partners, brought together policymakers, regulators, manufacturers, financiers and development partners to agree on practical actions required to accelerate the manufacturing, regulatory approval and uptake of African-made health products.
MCAZ was represented by Mrs Caroline Getrude Samatanga, Head of the Licensing and Enforcement Division, who participated as a panellist during the regulatory support discussions and represented the Chairperson of the ML3 National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) Regulatory Reliance Initiative, a continental collaboration of mature regulatory authorities working to strengthen regulatory cooperation and reliance across Africa.
During the regulatory panel discussions, MCAZ contributed insights on how regulatory reliance mechanisms can significantly reduce medicine registration timelines while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The discussions emphasised the importance of leveraging existing regulatory initiatives such as regional joint assessments, reliance on trusted regulatory authorities, and recognition of inspection outcomes to accelerate access to African-manufactured products.
Mrs Samatanga highlighted that regulatory reliance has the potential to play a transformative role in supporting African pharmaceutical manufacturing by reducing duplication in regulatory processes and improving the efficiency of medicine approval pathways across the continent.
“Regulatory reliance is not only a regulatory efficiency tool but also an important enabler of African pharmaceutical industrialisation. By strengthening collaboration among regulators, Africa can significantly shorten approval timelines while maintaining robust quality assurance systems,” she noted during the panel discussion.
The forum also discussed the operationalisation of key continental initiatives including the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), and the ongoing establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), all of which aim to strengthen Africa’s capacity to produce and supply its own medicines and health technologies.
Participation in the forum contributes to Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) objectives, particularly in the areas of industrialisation, improved access to medicines, institutional strengthening and regional integration. By engaging in continental regulatory initiatives, MCAZ continues to position Zimbabwe as an active contributor to Africa’s evolving regulatory landscape while supporting the development of sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing across the continent.
The meeting further provided an important platform for collaboration among African regulators, manufacturers and development partners to align regulatory systems with procurement mechanisms and financing instruments that will support the long-term sustainability of African pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Through its participation, MCAZ reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regulatory systems that both protect public health and enable innovation, investment and industrial growth in the health sector.
