Speaker Profile

BIOGRAPHY

Gugu Nolwandle Mahlangu is a pharmacist by profession and an accomplished regulatory consultant. With a distinguished career spanning over thirty years, the majority of her professional life has been dedicated to medical products regulation. She served at the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) and its predecessor in various technical and managerial roles, culminating in her appointment as Director-General in 2012, a position she held until her retirement in 2020.

Ms Mahlangu has also played a pivotal role in professional regulation as the first Chairperson of the Independent Pharmacists Council of Zimbabwe. She is a past president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, former chairperson of the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe, and former board member of the National Pharmaceutical Company.

At the regional and continental levels, she has been deeply involved in the harmonisation of regulatory systems, particularly through her leadership within ZAZIBONA and the African Medicines Agency (AMA) initiative. Ms Mahlangu chaired the Task Force that developed the framework for establishing the AMA and currently serves as Chair of the Interim Executive Committee working on the creation of the College of African Regulatory Science Professionals (CARSP). She continues to contribute her expertise as a member of several WHO Expert Committees, advancing the development of regulatory science and public health on the African continent.