KAMPALA: To bolster public health security and promote import substitution, the Ugandan government is injecting billions of shillings into the pathogen economy. This significant investment, announced by the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development during his Budget Speech for the Financial Year 2024/2025, highlights the tremendous progress made in developing vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other healthcare tools.
“The pathogen economy has made tremendous progress in developing vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other healthcare tools for our public health security and import substitution,” the minister said.
One of the notable achievements cited by the Minister is the development of a PCR diagnostics kit by scientists at Makerere University. “This kit has so far been used for conducting more than 2 million COVID-19 tests. This kit effectively halved the cost of COVID-19 testing, and saved Government more than USD 37 million (Shs 140 billion),” he noted.
The Minister also highlighted the establishment of a Clinical Trials Platform for natural therapeutics, the first of its kind on the African continent. He mentioned that human vaccines have completed animal studies and are now preparing for clinical trials.
Other significant government support under the pathogen economy includes several special initiatives:
“Dei Biopharma Ltd is establishing Africa’s largest pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing facility here in Uganda,” the Minister announced. This facility is expected to create job opportunities for more than 10,000 science professionals and 30,000 others in the support ecosystem. The production of generic drugs, cancer drugs, and human vaccines is set to start by November 2024, with the government finalizing equity acquisition in exchange for its Shs 723 billion investment.
The anti-tick vaccine project, spearheaded by Dr. Margaret Saimo-Kahwa at Makerere University, has undergone clinical trials. “I have provided an additional Shs 25 billion to produce and commercialize the anti-tick vaccines,” the Minister stated.
The government has supported Prof. Patrick Ogwang, known for COVIDEX, to undertake clinical trials of his natural therapeutics and establish an internationally certified production facility under Jena Herbals. An additional Shs 2.07 billion has been allocated for this purpose next financial year.
Additional support has been provided to Prof. Jennifer Serwanga Sempala to advance her research in human vaccines, with Shs 25.24 billion allocated to complete the research and begin production.
The government has also partnered with the private sector to fast-track local value addition to coffee, starting with three apex centers for high-value coffee processing. These centers, under the Coffee Investment Consortium, Great Lakes Coffee, and Inspire Africa Coffee, have acquired modern technologies to produce a variety of coffee products. “One of the facilities is complete while the other is 62 percent complete,” the Minister reported. The government has allocated Shs 75 billion next financial year to improve coffee value chain development, aiming to earn Uganda USD 560 million from value-added coffee in the next five years.
In addition to these initiatives, the Minister announced significant investments in the Space Programme, focusing on rapid human capital development and infrastructure enhancement. The Mpoma Satellite Earth Station has been partially refurbished, with further support planned for establishing a satellite development laboratory and a modern Geospatial Centre. “I have provided Shs 3.3 billion for Space Programme activities next financial year,” he added.
“I want to commend H.E the President for spearheading the development of the knowledge economy through targeted funding of research and development, and scientists in general,” the Minister concluded.