Barbados secured a major “game-changer” contract with the Government of Rwanda to establish a new pharmaceutical industry, the first in the Caribbean.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made the announcement during a press conference at the Grantley Adams International Airport. She told reporters that the accords reached with the government of Rwanda were “the biggest game changer” for Barbados.
“Perhaps the biggest game changer since we have come to the office is about to unfold, and we have been working on it very quietly for the last six months or so, and that is addressing the issue of pharmaceutical equity and creating a platform for jobs, investment and earnings for a pharmaceutical industry in Barbados for the first time. I’m not sure if people understand how complex it is to establish the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals,” said Mottle,y.
The Prime Minister noted that the regulatory framework is extremely complex, and that is the first thing they will be engaged in over the next nine to 12 months or so in cooperation with Guyana.
In addition, the Prime Minister informed the media that the Government of Rwanda, the European Union, the European Investment Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Susan Buffett Foundation had already committed to assisting Barbados in establishing the industry.
“This has been a major, major, major achievement for a small state like Barbados to be able to locate itself centre of the Americas as a location for the development of a pharmaceutical industry.”
Mottley is optimistic that over 4,000 jobs will be created for Barbadians within the next five years, with a focus on the development of cancer treatment pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, and drugs for women’s reproductive health care difficulties.
She also disclosed that the head of the Rwandan Food and Drug Administration has been in Barbados for seven weeks and that preliminary work with officials from the Barbados Drug Service and Ministry of Health and Wellness has already begun.
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