Akums and Government of Zambia form joint venture to establish pharma manufacturing facility
The facility will produce essential medicines in Zambia and supply neighbouring African countries from 2028
Akums and the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) have announced a partnership to establish a pharma manufacturing facility in Zambia to provide generic medicines for patients in the country.
The collaboration involves setting up a manufacturing unit in Zambia to manufacture and supply medicines locally, with plans to export to neighbouring African nations including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
The facility will be housed within a newly formed joint venture company (JV), headquartered in Zambia. Under the agreement, Akums will hold a 51 per cent stake, while GRZ, through its nominated state instrumentality, will hold 49 per cent. The JV will be managed by a board with representatives from both partners. The joint venture is expected to be established by Q3 FY26, after which construction of the facility will commence.
Commercial supplies from the facility are projected to begin in Q3 FY28, subject to the timely establishment of the plant and regulatory approvals. The unit will produce tablets, hard gelatin capsules, liquids, injectables, and beta-lactam products. Both parties will contribute to the establishment and operationalisation of the facility in proportion to their shareholding.
To address current national healthcare requirements, the Government of Zambia has also committed to procure essential medicines from Akums’ facilities in India for supply to Zambia. This supply is valued at a minimum of USD 25 million annually for calendar years 2026 and 2027.
According to projections, Zambia’s GDP growth is expected to exceed 6 per cent in 2025. The country’s pharma market is anticipated to grow at more than 10 per cent annually over the next five years and surpass USD 300 million by 2030. Currently, over 75 per cent of Zambia’s essential medicines are imported. The new partnership is expected to contribute towards reducing import dependency and building self-reliance in healthcare, while also creating potential for exports to other African markets, particularly SADC countries, with a combined population of over 450 million.
“We are proud to partner with GRZ to deliver high quality, affordable medicines manufacturing for Zambian healthcare system. This is our first manufacturing partnership outside India and aligns with vision of becoming a global CMDO,” said Mr. Sanjeev Jain, Managing Director at Akums.