The North-West University (NWU) not only strives to offer quality education in a South African context, but also has a huge drive to spread this expertise further around the world.

Three years ago, the NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, through its World Health Organisation Collaboration Centre for the Quality Assurance of Medicine (WHO-CC), embarked on a regulatory strengthening project to develop and strengthen the National Drug Quality Control Laboratory (NDQCL) of the Zambian Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA).

During this period the WHO-CC presented a number of short courses aimed at strengthening the capacity and good manufacturing practices of ZAMRA’s NDQCL and inspectors. This initiative was financially supported by the European Union as part of its Health Systems Strengthening Programme.

After three years of hard work, the 26 Zambian attendees reaped the first fruits of their dedication when they recently received their certificates from the NWU during a glamorous recognition ceremony.

Dr Marius Brits, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre, says it remains a huge honour to recognise the hard work and effort of those participants who successfully completed the short courses.

“It's really satisfying to know that we make a difference, not only through training and providing assistance in establishing quality guidelines and specifications, but also in the lives of millions of people who take medication daily.”

The recognition ceremony took place on 15 November at the Neelkanth Sarovar Premiere Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia. Various senior members of the ZAMRA staff and Zambian Ministry of Health were among the honoured guests who attended the ceremony.

Twenty-six Zambian Medicines Regulatory Authority staff recently received their certificates for short courses completed during a collaborative initiative between the North-West University’s WHO-CC, ZAMRA and the European Union.