The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa, AHK has introduced a training program aimed at enhancing pharmaceutical manufacturing in Kenya. This program is in collaboration with Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, PTB, the National Metrology Institute of Germany which handles scientific and technical service tasks.
The program will be implemented through the Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Innovations & Analysis (CEPIA) in the School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at USIU-Africa.
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, PTB together with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa (AHK Eastern Africa) will play an instrumental role in developing the curriculum, imparting the vocational training concept and in ensuring certification of the final trainees meets the international recommended standards.
This program is unique and the first of its kind in the pharmaceutical industry in Kenya. The objective of the program is to train Pharma operators by combining technical skills with theoretical knowledge about materials, processes, machine technology and other Pharmaceutical insights.
The trainees will go through the theoretical and practical trainings relevant for process of manufacturing pharmaceutical drugs such as syrups, tablets, creams and ointments.
The sole purpose of this program will be to boost local production of pharmaceutical drugs and ensure competitiveness and maintenance of high quality production. Training of more pharma operators will create a more skilled manufacturing workforce and in return reduce the unemployment gap in the health industry. It will also lead to students embracing science related courses.
The industry players involved in this partnership are 4 local pharmaceutical companies: Dawa Life Sciences, Biodeal Laboratories Ltd, Elys Chemical Industries Ltd. and Regal Pharmaceuticals Ltd. These companies are already involved in local pharmaceutical manufacturing and offer this training program to young enthusiastic employees which they enroll in the program and/or to young trainees fresh from high school. The companies will also take over the practical training parts through their in company trainers, who went through AHK-led AdA-Trainers courses. This vocational training concept will lead to increase of more highly skilled pharma operators which will have a ripple effect in bolstering the local production of pharmaceutical drugs.
This collaboration between industry and academia will help the country reduce its over reliance on imported pharmaceutical drugs. The country will be positioned as a local manufacturer of quality pharmaceutical drugs. There will be improvement in the country’s health sector as citizens will be able to access equitable affordable and quality healthcare services. This will enable Kenya to meet its national goals and to address the current challenges crippling the health industry.
At AHK we are excited to be able to support this initiative through our TVET department as it is important to improve and enlarge high quality pharmaceutical production in the region to improve access and availability of essential medicines towards universal health care.