Geneva, Switzerland: The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Grace Magembe has led a Tanzanian delegation to hold discussions with the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region, Prof. Mohamed Yakub Janabi on improving health services in Africa, including in Tanzania.
During the talks, which took place on February 05, 2026 on the sidelines of the WHO Executive Board Meeting, the Tanzanian delegation, in collaboration with the Permanent Representative of Tanzania to Geneva, Ambassador Abdallah Saleh Possi, commended Prof. Janabi for the good work he continues to do in strengthening health systems in Africa.
The delegation also requested to strengthen strategies that Tanzania can continue to use in fulfilling the agenda of establishing and strengthening the production of health products within the country (local manufacturing) based on the experiences of other countries.
During the discussions, they discussed how the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) can best expand the scope of implementation of health product management interventions in the country.
Following the discussions, Prof. Janabi and Tanzanian experts working at WHO advised the Tanzanian Ministry of Health to work closely with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to push forward the agenda of producing health products locally, as well as establishing partnerships with developed countries in the region such as India, China and Algeria.
“We also advise Tanzania to conduct research on products manufactured by neighboring countries such as Kenya and Rwanda to expand markets, involve the private sector in the production process and establish a special ‘Resource Mobilization’ unit to seek resources from stakeholders”, said Prof. Janabi
Prof. Janabi has advised Tanzania to use a consultant expert who has previously helped Ghana improve the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) from 28 to 60 percent, as well as allowing one expert from the WHO Tanzania Office to stay in the Ministry of Health for further capacity building.
