A $64 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant projected to create more than 200 jobs is being planned for Christ Church, following the signing of two agreements to advance the project.
The proposed facility, earmarked for the Grantley Adams Industrial Estate, would have the capacity to produce up to 12 million bags of intravenous (IV) fluids annually for Barbados and regional export markets.
Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. (BPI) and Nigeria’s AMA Medical Manufacturing signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this week during the Commonwealth Business Forum in Antigua and Barbuda, advancing plans for their proposed joint venture.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley (second left) joins Barbadian and Nigerian officials at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Antigua and Barbuda, where agreements were signed to advance a proposed $64 million IV fluids manufacturing plant in Barbados. (Photo by: Barbados Pharma Inc)
The agreement was signed by BPI’s acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Cindi Lewis and African Medicines Agency (AMA) Chairman Abdullahi Musa Bello and witnessed by Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume.
A second agreement between AMA and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will advance the technical and financial preparations needed to move the project towards investment.
According to BPI, the facility is intended to reduce the Caribbean’s dependence on imported IV fluids and strengthen access to essential medical supplies.
The company has projected that the development could generate more than 200 local jobs, with opportunities for Barbadians to acquire specialised skills in pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality assurance and related technical fields.
Under the proposed partnership, AMA will lead the design, construction and operation of the facility, while BPI will support land access, regulatory coordination, regional market entry and engagement with the government.
The proposed investment forms part of a wider effort to establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Barbados, first outlined by Mottley in November 2022 following discussions with Rwanda.
At the time, Mottley identified the potential for between 4 000 and 5 000 jobs over four to five years, with ambitions extending to vaccines, cancer treatments and medicines for women’s reproductive healthcare.
In November 2023, Barbados received a Biopharma White Book outlining the regulatory groundwork required to develop the industry. The initiative, involving cooperation with Rwanda and Guyana, was intended to help Barbados meet international standards for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The push for local production was driven partly by difficulties experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when countries across the region struggled to obtain essential medicines, vaccines and medical equipment despite having the funds to purchase them.
The partnership with Nigeria subsequently took shape in November 2025, when the two countries signed an agreement covering pharmaceutical manufacturing, skills development, market access and regulatory cooperation.
That agreement also built on discussions with AMA Medical Manufacturing about establishing a production facility in Barbados.
The latest agreements represent another step towards that objective, although financing arrangements and other preparatory work must still be completed before construction can proceed.
(BT)
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