KAMPALA, Uganda — Equity Bank Uganda has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local manufacturing after its Board and senior management toured Microhaem Scientifics (MHS), one of Uganda’s leading indigenous manufacturers of medical diagnostics.
The strategic engagement, held on August 7, brought together Equity Bank Uganda Board Chair Henry Rugamba, Managing Director Gift Shoko and other senior executives, who toured Microhaem’s operational production facility in Ntinda, Kampala, as well as its 20-acre Phase II expansion project at Namanve Industrial Park.
The visit highlighted the growing partnership between the financial institution and Microhaem Scientifics, with Equity Bank Uganda having committed more than US$50 million in financing to support the company’s expansion, manufacturing capacity and quality systems.
The investment is part of a broader push to strengthen Uganda’s domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce dependence on imported medical products.
Microhaem Scientifics was founded by Ugandan scientist Dr. Cedric Akwesigye, who established the company with a vision of developing medical products suited to African conditions while reducing the continent’s vulnerability to international supply chains.
The company manufactures in-vitro diagnostic products, including the Pf-Xpat malaria rapid diagnostic test kits, which are designed to withstand high temperatures and remain stable at temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius.
Microhaem also produces diagnostic products for HIV and sickle-cell screening, including the Kwiq Test and MicroScreen, as well as molecular reagents.
The company’s products are aimed at addressing some of the major health challenges affecting Uganda and the wider East African region.
From its beginnings in Ntinda, Microhaem has expanded into a major indigenous manufacturer of medical diagnostics, supplying both government programmes and private health providers.
The company’s expansion at Namanve Industrial Park is expected to significantly increase its production capacity.
The Phase II project includes a four-level manufacturing block measuring approximately 40 metres by 160 metres, dedicated utility systems, a plastics factory for syringes and other consumables, research and development facilities and specialist accommodation.
Civil works on the main manufacturing block are expected to be completed by December 2026, followed by approximately one year of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) fit-out.
The company expects its first validated products from the new facility within approximately 18 months.
Speaking during the visit, Equity Bank Uganda Board Chair Henry Rugamba said the partnership demonstrated the potential of African businesses to develop solutions to challenges that have traditionally depended on foreign suppliers.
“What we saw today is African capability in action. Microhaem is not waiting for solutions to be shipped from elsewhere; it is building them here,” Rugamba said.
He added that Equity Bank was proud to have supported Microhaem’s growth with more than US$50 million in financing.
“Local manufacturers, backed by local capital, are the surest route to health sovereignty and economic resilience,” he said.
Equity Bank Uganda Managing Director Gift Shoko said the bank’s support for Microhaem was aligned with its wider strategy of directing capital towards industries capable of reducing import dependence and creating skilled employment.
Shoko said the investment formed part of the bank’s contribution to the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP).
“We are not merely lenders; we are partners in building the industrial backbone Uganda and East Africa need,” he said.
The ARRP is an Equity Group initiative targeting private-sector growth, industrialisation, cross-border value chains and financial inclusion across Africa.
According to the bank, the strategy targets US$6 billion in financing and seeks to reach up to 100 million customers by 2030.
Manufacturing and logistics are among the key areas targeted under the strategy.
For Microhaem founder and Managing Director Dr. Cedric Akwesigye, the support from Equity Bank has been instrumental in advancing the company’s long-term vision.
Akwesigye said the company had spent 14 years developing, testing and improving its products and was now positioned to expand its manufacturing footprint.
“Our goal remains simple: to protect and improve the quality of people’s lives through the innovation, manufacture and supply of high-quality medical products made in Uganda, for Uganda, and for export across Africa,” he said.
The Namanve expansion is expected to strengthen Uganda’s capacity to manufacture medical products locally while creating opportunities for skilled employment, research and development and regional exports.
The partnership between Equity Bank Uganda and Microhaem Scientifics therefore represents a growing private-sector effort to turn Uganda’s long-standing ambition of medical import substitution into actual domestic production capacity.
As Phase II moves towards completion, the two institutions say they intend to deepen their partnership and support the production of more life-saving medical products within Uganda and for markets across Africa.
