The Namibian public and the local pharmaceutical fraternity should be encouraged by president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s recent visit to Fabupharm amid the ongoing shortage of medicines in public hospitals and clinics.
The shortage of essential medicines has become a serious and dangerous concern in recent years, affecting many patients who depend on reliable access to treatment.
It was therefore timely and encouraging to see the head of state personally visit Namibia’s only local pharmaceutical manufacturer to better understand its capabilities and contribution to national healthcare.
For far too long, Namibia’s pharmaceutical procurement system has focused heavily on sourcing medicines from abroad, while insufficient attention has been given to strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
The president’s visit to Fabupharm signals recognition that Namibia must seriously consider local solutions to local problems, particularly when medicine shortages affect hospitals and clinics across the country.
INVESTED IN THE FUTURE
Fabupharm is our only locally owned and operated pharmaceutical manufacturer, and also one of the country’s most important pharmaceutical training partners.
It employs more than 70 Namibians, pays taxes locally, manufactures and supplies more than 150 pharmaceutical and healthcare products, and contributes directly to Namibia’s healthcare security and economic development.
Equally important, Fabupharm has, for more than 13 years, provided free industrial pharmaceutical training to University of Namibia pharmacy students and pharmacist assistants.
Every year, approximately 20 third-year BPharm (Hons) – almost of half of the class – and pharmacist assistant students (until the programme ended in 2024) spend two weeks receiving intensive experiential training at the facility.
These placements form a critical part of industrial pharmacy education that universities cannot fully replicate in classroom environments.
Students work alongside professional staff on real pharmaceutical production lines and gain firsthand experience in: receipt and quarantine of raw materials, quality control testing, quality management systems, hygiene and safety procedures, line clearance,
batch manufacture, in-process quality control testing, tablet, syrup, suspension and capsule production, packaging operations, finishing pharmaceutical product warehousing, batch release, and pharmaceutical distribution systems.
PARTNERSHIPS
This type of experiential learning is essential in producing competent industrial pharmacists and pharmaceutical professionals.
Many pharmacy schools across Africa struggle to secure industrial placements for students. Yet Fabupharm has consistently supported Namibia’s pharmaceutical education system without demanding compensation in return.
It is therefore reasonable to suggest that Namibia should strengthen procurement partnerships with companies that not only supply critical healthcare products to the nation, but also invest significantly in training our students and developing local pharmaceutical capacity.
This is not merely about procurement. It is about building a sustainable pharmaceutical ecosystem in Namibia.
When government institutions procure pharmaceutical and healthcare products locally where possible, several important national benefits emerge: medicine supply chains become shorter and potentially more reliable, local jobs are protected and expanded,
industrial skills are strengthened, tax revenue remains within the country, and companies that support student training remain economically viable.
CONSEQUENCES AND CAPACITY
In many cases, Namibia’s medicine shortages have not been caused by a lack of funding, but rather by unreliable procurement systems and middlemen who secure large tenders yet fail to deliver products consistently and on time.
The consequences have included avoidable stockouts, treatment interruptions, patient suffering, and embarrassment for the country.
xFabupharm’s contribution should therefore be viewed not only as manufacturing, but as national capacity building.
I must also acknowledge the important contribution of other regional pharmaceutical manufacturing partners that have supported our students over the years through hosting industrial placements.
These include Cospharm, Varichem and Pharmanova in Harare, Zimpharm and Datlabs in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), PharmaQ in Johannesburg, Q-sol (formerly Sanofi Aventis) in Pretoria, Aspen Pharmacare in East London, and Port Elizabeth (South Africa), Cipla QCIL in Kampala (Uganda), and Baxy Pharmaceutical Ndola (Zambia).
However, Fabupharm remains Namibia’s foremost local industrial pharmacy training partner and carries the largest share of this responsibility within the country.
THE SPIRIT OF RECIPROCITY
There should be a stronger spirit of partnership and reciprocity between Namibia’s procurement systems and the companies that invest in our students, our industrial development, and our healthcare security.
Supporting such companies where appropriate is not simply an economic decision, it is an investment in Namibia’s future pharmaceutical self-reliance and workforce development.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah’s visit to Fabupharm was both necessary and important.
It demonstrated the manufacturing capability that already exists within Namibia and highlighted the potential for stronger collaboration between government, industry, and educational institutions.
As a country, we should increasingly prioritise sourcing pharmaceutical and healthcare products locally (or regionally) where feasible, especially from companies that consistently demonstrate commitment to Namibia’s development, healthcare security, and student training.
- Seth !Nowaseb is an industrial pharmacy lecturer involved in teaching, arranging, supporting, and visiting students during industrial placements. He writes in his personal capacity.
