The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero has revealed that Dei Bio Pharma is expected to start exporting drugs from Uganda before the end of this year.
She made the revelation during her appearance before the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance.
Musenero who was giving an update on her Ministry's commitments to the Ugandan people, mentioned that the pharmaceutical company has already received over Shs723 billion in taxpayer funding for its establishment.
“We have partnered with Dei Bio Pharma, and Government has taken in shares. This is the biggest pharmaceutical facility on the continent of Africa, we hope to start shipping out medicines before the end of the year because National Drug Authority has cleared us,” Musenero said.
Recently, the government allocated Shs723 billion to Dei BioPharma Ltd, a private pharmaceutical company located in Matugga, Wakiso District.
Once completed, Dei BioPharma, which spans 150 acres, will be Uganda’s first research-focused biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company.
The establishment is overseen by Chairman Dr. Patrick Wakida and Managing Director Dr. Matthias Magoola, along with their team, including Board Pharmacist Dr. Arthur Kayanya.
Additionally, Musenero informed the committee that Uganda has generated Shs7.3 billion from the sale of diagnostic kits to Mulago National Referral Hospital and internationally.
Ugandan scientists began producing the kits during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“When you go to Mulago Hospital now, that diagnostic kit used to test you is made here by our scientists and we have started making impact on the continent. We manufacture the proficiency panels for all these countries arising out of this work, which we started in 2020/21 and this has brought us about US$2m (Shs7.3bn) in revenue,” Musenero said.