Business 6 May 2026 The Observer (Uganda)
Dei BioPharma to Drive Uganda's Pharmaceutical Independence and Job Creation
Government ministers touring the Dei BioPharma facility in Matugga hailed it as a pivotal step towards Uganda producing its own medicines, reducing import reliance, and generating 40,000 jobs for youth. The integrated project links farming to high-value drug manufacturing, promising economic transformation and sovereignty. Source: https://observer.ug/news/minister-dei-to-power-uganda-jobs-drugs-independence
The Dei BioPharma campus in Matugga is under rapid construction, featuring labs and production units aimed at enabling Uganda to manufacture its own pharmaceuticals instead of depending on imports.
During a pre-Labour Day tour, Youth and Children Affairs Minister Balaam Barugahara stressed that true national sovereignty requires producing what the country consumes, urging a shift from short-term imports to long-term industrial strength.
Science and Technology Minister Dr. Monica Musenero highlighted the facility’s vast potential to produce expensive, hard-to-access drugs for Africa, while creating up to 40,000 jobs, particularly for young people in science and tech fields. Barugahara noted that employed youth are less likely to engage in protests.
Unlike typical projects, Dei BioPharma integrates agriculture, research, and manufacturing. A key component is a $50 million cassava starch plant in Kamuli, producing pharmaceutical-grade excipients and active ingredients locally, cutting costs.
Project founder Dr. Matthias Magoola emphasized that this makes Uganda one of Africa’s pioneers in self-producing drug ingredients. The system connects over 3,000 farmers supplying 500 metric tonnes of cassava daily, boosting rural incomes with high-yield varieties—potentially tripling earnings compared to sugarcane.
Ambitions target lucrative markets like biological drugs for diabetes, cancer, and sickle cell disease, aiming to slash costs from millions in the West. Backed by Shs 2.7 trillion in investments from U.S. partners, banks, and government, the facility has 30 drugs approved by the National Drug Authority.
Challenges include meeting stringent WHO and FDA standards, but success could position it as a major African pharma hub, supporting Uganda’s goal to expand its economy from $66 billion to $500 billion through industrialisation.
Source: The Observer (Uganda)