Speaker Profile

BIOGRAPHY

Washington Dengu is a distinguished pharmaceutical and regulatory affairs expert with over 15 years of experience shaping the public health landscape across Africa. His career spans senior consultant leadership roles at continental bodies like AUDA-NEPAD [AMRH] and the WHO [Afro & HQ] and SADC (Zazibona), as well as hands-on national experience in Zimbabwe, driving initiatives aligned with Africa's Agenda 2063.

Washington is currently the Continental GMP Coordinator for the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) Program at AUDA-NEPAD, where he is at the forefront of operationalising the African Medicines Agency (AMA). He developed the continental playbook of inspection procedures and guidelines and coordinated the AMRH pilot GMP inspections for biological products and vaccines and has trained over 400 regulators across the continent on a quarterly basis. His expertise is further demonstrated by his role as a managing director in industry, where he led the design, construction, validation, and licensing of a new local pharmaceutical plant in Zimbabwe, successfully commercialising over 20 products within 2 years of licensing.

A recognised thought leader, Washington has co-authored pivotal WHO guidance documents on mainstreaming antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pharmaceutical production and waste management. His work has been instrumental in strengthening regulatory systems, setting the ground for achieving critical accreditations like WHO Maturity Level 3 for Zimbabwe, and promoting local production through pioneering guidance for greenfield pharmaceutical factories and compliance roadmaps for existing facilities.

As a PhD candidate in strategic management, Washington combines deep practical experience with academic rigour, offering a unique perspective on regulatory harmonisation, good manufacturing practices, and capacity building. He brings a powerful combination of strategic foresight and proven execution capabilities to champion Africa's mission for self-reliant health security.