Huge cooperation potential

Ethiopia’s Oriental Industrial Park witnessed in October 2016 the establishment of Sansheng (Ethio) Pharmaceutical Plc. - a Chinese pharmaceutical company, which became the first pharmaceutical company to settle in the park.

According to statistics, some Sub-saharan African countries do not have their own pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Except from South Africa, some of these countries can only produce a small number of pharmaceutical products. Besides, local pharmaceutical products are limited only to basic drugs such as painkillers, antibiotics, anti-malaria drugs and vitamins, which can only meet 20 to 30 percent of the domestic demand.

Realizing the huge demand for medicine and the lack of self-supply capacity in the African market, many Chinese pharmaceutical companies have already invested and opened factories in Africa to localize their production. This trend is welcomed, said Ethiopian Industry Minister Mebrahtu Meles, as it will help strengthen the continent’s pharmaceutical production capacity.

According to Diarra Boubacar, a Malian traditional medicine doctor, there is a huge demand for medicines in many African countries. The doctorate holder told Chinafrica that Africa has a long history of traditional