With a continent teeming with promise, Africa yearns for healing hands to address its healthcare challenges. As nations rise from the ashes of underdevelopment, pharma companies hold the key to unlock vitality and progress. From remote villages to bustling cities, access to affordable medicines and advanced treatments becomes the catalyst for growth. In this transformative landscape, Africa awaits the dawn of pharma companies, whose innovations will bring hope, restore health, and pave the way for a future where wellness knows no boundaries.
I believe growth opportunities are limitless, with every country in Sub-Saharan Africa harbouring the potential to house a manufacturing facility, fostering self-sufficiency – Sinhue Noronha
Africure Pharmaceuticals is one such firm leading the charge. In a world marked by uncertainty and challenges, Sinhue Noronha, CEO and Founder of the company, stands as a charismatic business leader and beacon of inspiration. Inspired by life’s brevity and the pressing issues of our time, Mr. Noronha has dedicated himself to creating a profound difference in people’s lives. He is catalysing change through his reputed pharma company, Africure Pharmaceuticals Limited. He has dedicated a better part of his life working in Sub-Saharan Africa, trying to make low-cost high-quality medicine available to its nationals. The company forges its path on the avowed mission of manufacturing high-quality essential medication in Africa, by Africans.
Early Ventures and Ambitious Aspirations
Noronha’s tryst with the pharmaceutical realm started when he was just 20 years old. Starting his journey as a medical representative, his passion, zeal, and eagerness to learn helped him swiftly ascend the ranks, embracing the roles of a Product Executive, Product Manager, Sr. Product Manager, Marketing Manager, and Marketing Controller. At the age of 30, Noronha embarked on a new endeavour- manufacturing and exporting pharmaceutical formulations to Europe and Africa. He laid the foundations of his first venture, Simrone Pharmaceuticals and even went on to start a manufacturing unit in Palghar that still serves as a manufacturing site for Africure. Ultimately, Mr. Noronha established Africure Pharmaceuticals Limited with a dedicated vision to introduce manufacturing technology within Africa, employing a distinctive business model tailored to the needs of key African markets.
Forging a Healthier Africa, Made in Africa
Africa, particularly the Sub-Saharan region, grapples with significant developmental gaps, and healthcare stands among the most crucial sectors affected. The inadequate healthcare system leads to an enormous loss of productivity, exacerbating the financial burden on families and impeding progress. Africure Pharmaceuticals is focused on advancing pharmaceutical facilities and capabilities while nurturing local self-sufficiency.
Africure has fulfilled its unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of Africans by establishing cutting-edge manufacturing facilities in strategic locations across the continent. These state-of-the-art plants adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meticulously produce formulations to meet the stringent standards set by the respective Pharmacopoeias. The robust quality management systems implemented guarantee the uniform and standardised manufacturing of products, ensuring that every step of the production process is meticulously controlled and monitored. With a focus on excellence, Africure is dedicated to delivering pharmaceutical solutions of the highest quality to empower and uplift the lives of the African people. While this path is arduous, the team at Africure wholeheartedly embraces the mission of bringing smiles to the faces of African citizens.
We aim to provide clients the best value in terms of quality, pricing, DIFOT, and technical support – Sinhue Noronha
Their endeavours are guided by the principle, “Made in Africa by Africans for Africa.” Every step the company takes upholds this commitment to crafting a brighter future. Africure presently operates manufacturing plants in India (an export-only unit), Tanzania, Cameroon, IVC, Botswana, with an upcoming plant in Ethiopia (scheduled for completion in 2022). Additionally, the company has established distribution companies in Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
A Unique Approach: The Management Contract
Remaining true to its objective of building the path of self-sufficiency for African countries, Africure takes a unique approach – the implementation of a management contract being foremost among them. Due to problems of raw material procurement, lack of engineering, improper production planning, and sales strategies, several African pharma companies find themselves running at a loss. Through its Management Contract tool, Africure assists these companies in achieving profitability, offering support along these verticals. Africure is currently fueling the transformation of 6 such companies.
Resilience in the Face of Challenges
From statutory regulations, scarce resources, and underdeveloped infrastructure to language barriers and bureaucratic puzzles, tackling challenges in a developing nation is always an uphill climb. However, with his relentless grit, courage, and experience of working with developing nations, Mr. Noronha was able to forge Africure’s path, overcoming challenges and exploring possibilities. The success of the venture is also a result of its highly competent and dedicated grassroots team that leaves no stone unturned in achieving their objectives.
A Legacy of Empowerment and Transformation
Noronha’s vision of establishing multiple manufacturing facilities and capabilities across key locations in Sub-Saharan Africa sets Africure apart as a pioneer in the industry. No other company has accomplished such a feat before, making Africure’s progress within a significantly short span an incredible achievement. As the company forges ahead, its impact on the region’s healthcare landscape will undoubtedly be remembered.
Words of Wisdom
Leadership, according to Mr. Noronha, hinges on having a clear vision and inspiring one’s team to believe in it. Persistence, multidimensional knowledge, attention to detail, and the ability to comprehend the bigger picture all play pivotal roles. As a seasoned entrepreneur, Mr. Noronha offers sage advice to aspiring business leaders: ‘Start small with a grand vision, build brick by brick, maintain an acute awareness of internal and market dynamics, and continually adapt and re-strategise. At the same time, maintain flexibility In a competitive landscape to avoid being replaced.’
Imagining a Tomorrow Without Medical Barriers
With each endeavour, Africure illuminates the path toward a brighter future, empowering local communities, and effecting lasting change. The latest manufacturing unit of the company is ready to be inaugurated in Mid 2023 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a manufacturing capacity of 800 million tablets, 500 million capsules, 138 million sachets, and 14 million syrups. This newly launched unit is touted to further expand the manufacturing prowess of Africure in Eastern Africa, generating employment as well as quality medicine made by Africans For Africa.
Not just that, Africure has an arsenal of expansion plans lined up, aiming to put up 2 new plants every year. To this end, Mr. Noronha believes that the company will soon have 10 plants within the course of the next 5 years. As Africure continues to expand its footprint, the journey towards self-sufficiency and a better quality of life in Africa gains momentum, underscoring the transformative impact of passionate leadership.