HC Speech at Pharmaceutical Virtual Meeting (August 25, 2026)

Mr. K. Raja Bhanu, Director General of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil)

Dr. Moses Chisale, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST), Government of Malawi

Representatives from the Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA), and  the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST), Government of Malawi

Business leaders from the pharmaceutical sectors of India and Malawi

Distinguished participants,

Good morning  and a very warm welcome to you all to this virtual webinar on India-Malawi Pharmaceutical Cooperation and Regulatory Developments.

    I take this opportunity to convey my sincere appreciation to Director General of Pharmexcil  Mr Raja Bhanu, and Chief Executive Officer of CMST- Dr Moses Chisale for joining hands with the High Commission to organise this event to promote and discuss  the upcoming pharma exhibition- iPHEX 2026.  iPHEX is the largest expo showcasing Indian pharmaceutical products and technologies to  the  global audience  from September 7-9 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

2.   As we all are aware, India is widely recognized as the "Pharmacy of the World." India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally and is renowned for its affordable vaccines and high-quality medicines. The Indian Pharmaceuticals industry, therefore, plays an important role in the global pharmaceuticals supply chain. Our global mission is to ensure that life-saving, and high-quality healthcare drugs remain affordable and accessible to everyone, everywhere. 

3. India and Malawi share an excellent and cordial relations. Our historical relations and friendship goes back to more than century back.  In healthcare, India remains a trusted partner and crucial supplier of pharmaceutical for Malawi. It is a matter of great satisfaction that India accounts for over 50 percent of Malawi's total pharmaceutical requirements, delivering safe and cost-effective therapies to fight against malaria, HIVs, cancer, tuberculosis, and other major health challenges.
   
   
4.   Our bilateral ties have been further deepened by the strong people-to-people contacts, historic trade linkages and robust development partnership. However, the present level of our bilateral trade does not reflect the true potential of our bilateral  relationship. In the 2024–25 financial year, total bilateral trade between our two nations reached US$170.64 million, with Indian exports to Malawi accounting for US$94.56 million of that total. In the last financial year 2025–26, bilateral trade  dropped to US$125.21 million, while Indian exports to Malawi slowed to US$83.36 million. This downward trajectory is directly reflected in Malawi's pharmaceutical imports from India. During the 2024–25 financial year, Malawi imported US$41.54 million worth of Indian pharmaceuticals. By the 2025–26 fiscal year, this figure fell to US$32.53 million. This represents a substantial decline from the 2020–21 financial year, when Malawi’s pharmaceutical imports from India peaked at US$80.23 million.
   
   
5. It has been observed that the bilateral trade has shrank in last financial year because  Malawi has been facing severe shortage of forex, combined with a slowing economy. Forex situation of the country impedes the supply and availability of vital goods, including essential medicines in Malawi.
   
   
6. Today's virtual interaction is a platform to bridge the information and other gaps. To build stronger ties with Indian pharma industry, I am delighted to invite the Malawian government procurement agency, the CMST, and our local business partners to actively participate in iPHEX 2026—India's flagship International Exhibition on Pharma and Healthcare. This mega exhibition will not only provide you to diversify your imports with wider choices but also offer an opportunity to forge Joint ventures and business collaborations with Indian pharma companies for establishing manufacturing facilities  in Malawi.
7. I am pleased to acknowledge that more than half a dozen business people from Malawi have already registered themselves for participating in iPHEX 2026. Your presence at the exhibition in New Delhi would not only be offering a platform to establish direct contacts with Indian pharma manufactures but also an opportunity to explore cost-effective avenues to interact with reliable suppliers, cutting-edge drug formulations, and forge strong B2B relationships.

8. To ensure uninterrupted supply of critical medicines and life saving drugs and reaching them to patients faster,  I am happy to mention that India and Malawi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on pharmacopoeia cooperation in October 2024 to align medicine quality standards and regulatory frameworks. I urge Malawian regulatory partner, particularly the PMRA, to collaborate with Indian authorities to streamline drug registration and licensing processes. Simplifying these processes will further lower operational costs, and encourage Indian manufacturers to register their products here to keep vital supply lines resilient despite foreign exchange shortages.

9.   I also request Indian pharma manufactures to look Malawi beyond a simple buyer-seller relationship, but to make Malawi as their manufacturing hubs for entering into wider SADC regional market for their pharma products. India is committed to supporting Malawi’s long-term self-reliance. Through direct business-to-business partnerships, exchange programs, and the recent Pharmacopoeia agreement, we want to share our technical expertise and know how. Our vision is to see Indian expertise help build local capacity, eventually moving toward domestic generic manufacturing plants and packaging facilities within Malawi, insulating Malawi’s health sector from global supply chain disruptions.

10. I  once again  thank all the participants from India and Malawi to  joining this virtual forum today. I encourage all the businesses present here to engage actively in the upcoming iPHEX 2026. Let us grab this forthcoming opportunity to build strong, resilient and robust partnerships that will benefit the healthcare systems of both our nations.

I wish Pharmexcil all success for its forthcoming expo-iPHEX-2026.

Thank you very much.  

Jai Hind !