Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) says it will need $50 million (K87 billion) to establish a pharmaceutical plant in Blantyre to boost local production of quality medicines and vaccines.
Speaking in Blantyre yesterday during the university’s second congregation since becoming an autonomous university in 2021, Kuhes Vice-Chancellor Professor MacPherson Mallewa said the university already secured $608 000 (about K1 billion) funding from the World Bank to conduct feasibility studies for setting up the plant on 15 hectares of land at the institution’s Kameza Campus in Blantyre.
| MacMillan Mhone
“We want that in the long run. Over 90 percent of drugs being used in the country should be produced locally so that we can control the quality of the medicines given to our patients,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kuhes has already established a botanical garden at the Kameza Campus where indigenous trees with medicinal properties have been planted.
The plan to boost local drugs production comes after a report by The Guardian newspaper of the United Kingdom in 2024 quoted a study by researchers at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia as having suggested that Malawi had the highest prevalence rate of substandard and falsified medicines at 88 percent.
In the 2025/26 National Budget , the Malawi Government allocated K63 billion for procurement of medicines and laboratory items but the Parliamentary Cluster Committee on Health said there was a deficit of K75 billion as K138 billion was required.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Minister of Higher Education Jessie Kabwila said the university’s plans are in line with the government’s goal of improving the lives of Malawians.
During the ceremony, 193 students graduated across 16 undergraduate and eleven postgraduate programmes. Out of the fresh graduates, 102 are female and 91 male and five passed with distinctions.
In his speech, Kuhes council chairperson Professor Sosten Chiotha urged the new graduates to uphold the university’s values wherever they go.
“Walk boldly into your next chapter, carry the torch of knowledge and never forget the power of your presence in the lives of others,” he said.
Kuhes was established in 2021 following the merger of Kamuzu College of Nursing and the College of Medicine, formerly constituent colleges of the University of Malawi. The university held its inaugural congregation in 2024
