The President of the National Order of Pharmacists of the Republic of Congo, Mpandzou Jagger, spoke to the "African Initiative" about the needs of the Congolese market and opportunities for Russian companies.
"[Russian companies] can open their promotion agencies here, where medicines will be supplied. Through this structure, it is necessary to register the drugs with the Ministry of Health for marketing. After that, our wholesale structures will purchase them through the agencies and supply them to pharmacies," Jagger said in a conversation with a correspondent.
He noted that the pharmaceutical market is entirely dependent on imports, as local production is absent. Therefore, the industry is primarily interested in establishing local manufacturing capabilities. Among the most in-demand products, he mentioned antimalarial and antidiarrheal drugs, antibiotics, and antipyretics.
"Infusion solutions—imagine, physiological saline, saltwater—we are forced to import it from Europe. The same with glucose—it's just water, only sweet—we are forced to import it as well. Also in demand are antimalarial drugs, antibiotics, cancer treatment drugs, of course. We could start with producing their generics," he emphasized.
According to Jagger, the state encourages the establishment of such enterprises: special economic and social zones are provided for their location, offering tax and customs benefits.
The head pharmacist also highlighted that Congo lacks quality control laboratories, which are necessary to test drugs before granting marketing authorization.
"These same quality control laboratories could also be used for food control, because food control laboratories do not exist either. Medicines, food—it all needs to be controlled. This applies to all areas because we all receive and consume everything without verification," Jagger stated.
In July 2025, authorities in the Republic of Congo declared a cholera outbreak. As the number of infected individuals grew, the country's Ministry of Health requested assistance from Russia. In mid-August, specialists from Rospotrebnadzor arrived in Brazzaville, enhancing the capacity of local laboratories and providing training for local doctors.
