Iran-Zimbabwe to launch pharmaceutical joint venture

Zimbabwe is set to benefit from a major industrial boost following Iran's commitment to establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and a tractor assembly plant in the country through a joint venture with local State entities.

The development, formalised during high-level talks between Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Iranian Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Services Dr Ahmad Meydari, is expected to strengthen Zimbabwe's healthcare and mechanisation capacity, while positioning the country as a potential regional hub for both sectors.

Representatives from Iran's Industrial Group of Tractor Manufacturing also attended the discussions, underscoring Tehran's strategic intent to expand its industrial footprint in Southern Africa.

The pharmaceutical venture will focus on the production of unique drugs not currently manufactured in Zimbabwe, thereby avoiding direct competition with existing local firms. This initiative is poised to reduce the country's drug import bill, improve access to medication, and facilitate technological transfer.

"We will be able to supply pharmaceuticals to over 200 million people once the joint venture is operational," said VP Chiwenga. "Zimbabwe's central location makes it an ideal distribution point for the SADC region and beyond."

The tractor manufacturing project will be implemented in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe, reinforcing the Government's push to modernise agriculture through enhanced mechanisation, particularly for smallholder farmers.

Both initiatives fall under President Emmerson Mnangagwa's broader vision to industrialise Zimbabwe and achieve upper-middle-income status by 2030. They also support rural industrialisation efforts aimed at decentralising economic development and empowering local communities.

VP Chiwenga toured Iran's Tamin Pharmaceutical Investment Company—one of the Middle East's top pharmaceutical exporters—and highlighted the importance of replicating such success in Zimbabwe. He stressed the need to expedite the implementation of the 13 Memoranda of Understanding signed between Zimbabwe and Iran in 2023, noting delays due to bureaucratic inertia.

"We must ensure that the bureaucratic system responds to the political will that has already been established," he said.

Minister Meydari echoed these sentiments, describing Zimbabwe as a strategic entry point for Iran's pharmaceutical exports into the SADC region.

VP Chiwenga is currently in Iran leading a Zimbabwean delegation attending the Iran-Africa Economic Conference, which aims to foster deeper economic ties between Iran and African nations.

He is accompanied by Deputy Ministers Engineer Caleb Makwiranzou (Mines and Mining Development), Raj Modi (Industry and Commerce), David Marapira (Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement), and Simelisizwe Sibanda (Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development).

The Deputy Ministers expressed optimism about the impact of the tractor project on Zimbabwe's small-scale farmers, viewing it as a transformative step toward inclusive agricultural development.