Today, Dr. Cedric Akwesigye led a delegation from Equity Bank Uganda on a strategic tour of the Namanve construction site and Ntinda Phase II facility to assess progress, strengthen client relationships, provide strategic guidance, and reaffirm Equity Bank’s commitment to a transformative partnership driving industrial growth.
The delegation was headed by the Managing Director, Mr. Gift Shoko, alongside Christine Mukasa Mugerwa, Acting Head of Corporate; Jaggwe Livingstone, Regional Manager Kampala; Martin Abwoki, Relationship Manager Corporate; Edson Nagaba, Head of Credit Underwriting; and Robert Wanok, Head of Retail Banking. As a subsidiary of Equity Group Holdings, Equity Bank Uganda’s visit reflects the Group’s broader Pan-African commitment to supporting visionary enterprises that advance industrialization, innovation, and sustainable economic transformation across the continent.
The strategic tour created an opportunity to review measurable progress across both sites while deepening a partnership anchored in trust, performance, and long-term shared value. From the Namanve construction site to Ntinda Phase II, the visit highlighted a deliberate expansion strategy aimed at scaling manufacturing capacity, strengthening production systems, and supplying high-quality diagnostics to African markets.
During the engagement, Dr. Cedric noted that Ntinda Phase II will expand production capacity to nearly six times that of Phase I—an increase that will significantly accelerate manufacturing volumes, expand skilled employment opportunities, and substantially reduce dependence on imported in vitro diagnostics. Once completed, Ntinda Phase II is projected to become the first and largest IVD manufacturing plant in Africa, positioning Uganda as a strategic production hub for continental healthcare supply. This scale will not only increase output but also strengthen local value addition, support import substitution, and improve regional access to quality-assured diagnostic solutions.
Namanve further reflects the scale of this long-term infrastructure vision, representing continued investment in industrial expansion, production resilience, and future-ready manufacturing ecosystems across IVDs, vaccines, therapeutics, and regenerative medicine, positioning it to serve Africa’s evolving healthcare needs through diversified, advanced health manufacturing.
Beyond infrastructure growth, this expansion represents tangible economic and health impact: stronger domestic and regional supply chains, increased manufacturing efficiency, greater job creation, and expanded equitable access to life-saving diagnostics. By scaling production locally for continental distribution, this model advances both health sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.
Equity Bank’s continued engagement goes beyond financing it reflects strategic monitoring, relationship stewardship, and a results-oriented partnership. Through ongoing evaluation and guidance, Equity Bank is helping strengthen an enterprise positioned to generate measurable returns in industrial capacity, healthcare resilience, and regional economic contribution.
Together, this partnership represents more than construction progress; it is a strategic investment in Africa’s future, where stronger institutions, expanded manufacturing capability, and financial partnership converge to build one of the continent’s most ambitious healthcare manufacturing ecosystems. This is not simply expansion it is the scaling of Africa’s capacity to manufacture high-quality diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and regenerative health solutions for itself.
