• Benesha to build medical consumables factory in DR Congo SEZ
• Project aims to cut imports amid strong demand for devices
• Factory to produce syringes, create 200 jobs by 2030

Congolese company Benesha plans to build a factory in the Democratic Republic of Congo to manufacture disposable medical devices, according to a March 23 statement from the Agency for Special Economic Zones (AZES).

Benesha, which distributes medical consumables, has signed an occupancy agreement with AZES for a plot within a special economic zone (SEZ). The statement did not specify which zone is concerned.

Benesha Chief Executive Farah Kokobile said the project aims to reduce the country's dependence on imports amid sustained demand. “Our objective within the economic zone is to locally produce devices that we regularly import, in order to reduce reliance on external supplies,” she said.

She added that demand is particularly strong, with monthly consumption estimated at more than 10 million syringes in Kinshasa alone, a figure largely met through imports.

The Congolese market for disposable medical consumables also offers strong growth prospects. According to the Congo Medical Consumables Market study published in 2023, the segment is expected to grow at an average annual rate of more than 11% between 2025 and 2031, peaking at 12.27% in 2026 before gradually slowing to 10.24% by the end of the period.

According to AZES, Benesha’s project includes the manufacture of syringes and infusion equipment. The agency added that the initiative is expected to create around 200 jobs by 2030 and described it as strategic, saying it could help strengthen the country’s health security by providing a local alternative to imported medical consumables.

Local production of disposable medical devices in the DRC remains limited despite rising demand from health facilities. To date, only a handful of companies, such as LabPro Pharma RDC, manufacture certain consumables, while others, including Afrimed RDC and Essor Equipements, focus on distributing imported products.

In January 2021, African Medical Solutions (AMS) announced plans to build a factory in Kinshasa. No further public updates on the project have been released since.

Ronsard Luabeya, with Bankable