Public-private partnership – a success story in the DRC!
In the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Switzerland is joining forces with Pharmakina SA on a project to improve the incomes and living standards of 2,000 small-scale producers of cinchona. The bark of the cinchona plant is used to produce quinine, which itself is used to treat malaria. The project gives the producers better market access, encourages sustainable agriculture, and facilitates access to basic healthcare services.
A partnership rooted in local realities
In the east of the DRC, many small-scale producers live by subsistence farming. A lack of security, rural isolation, the poor state of infrastructure, and limited access to markets, quality inputs and basic services are making their incomes increasingly precarious. In this context, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is partnering with Pharmakina SA to implement the SEEDS (Sustainable Empowerment and Economic Development of Smallholder Farmers) project – an initiative to integrate 2,000 small-scale cinchona producers more closely into the sector and improve their access to the market and to basic services. Pharmakina is a pharmaceutical company that has been based for more than 80 years in Buvaku, the capital of South Kivu Province. It processes the bark of the cinchona, a plant cultivated in North Kivu and South Kivu Provinces to produce quinine. Quinine is used specifically to treat malaria and as an ingredient in certain tonic beverages. Malaria still has a major impact on mortality in the region, making the cinchona sector important from both the health and economic perspectives.
Since 2023 Pharmakina has been majority-owned by AlphaTalents Africa, a Swiss impact investor. AlphaTalents Africa is supporting the company's transition to a business model that combines financial viability with social and environmental benefits. It achieves this primarily through direct purchasing from small-scale cinchona producers, better product traceability, and by integrating social and environmental standards in the company's operations. The SEEDS project is part of these efforts. It unites the SDC's experience in development cooperation with Pharmakina's local roots and expertise, and the long-term vision of its principal shareholder. These complementary strengths will help shore up a sector that plays a vital role in healthcare while also creating sustainable economic opportunities in a fragile context.
Shortening the supply chain
The project aims to integrate 2,000 small-scale producers more directly into the cinchona sector. At least half of these producers will be women. Twenty collection centres should allow them to sell cinchona bark directly to Pharmakina. By reducing the number of intermediaries and the costs of transportation, this approach should allow producers to achieve a fairer price and give them more reliable sales channels. Two greenhouses will provide the conditions in which to grow 9.3 million cinchona seedlings, which will then be distributed free of charge to producers to be cultivated on their land. Producers will also benefit from training in sustainable farming so that they can boost the yield and quality of their crops, while also improving their resilience to climate shocks.
Diversifying income and strengthening basic services
Cinchona takes six or seven years to grow before it can be harvested. In the interests of generating more regular income for households, the project will encourage intercropping with ginger. Seeds will be distributed to 1,500 producers, who will then be able to diversify their output and reduce their dependence on a single crop.
With the support of the centre of excellence on Idjwi Island, producers will be able to access training on sustainable farming practices, get technical advice locally, and improve their financial management skills. They will also be able to access basic healthcare services and engage with awareness-raising activities in areas such as nutrition, hygiene and prevention, in particular. These services will also be available to members of their household. For example, a producer might receive help with improving her crops, while obtaining access for her family to basic healthcare at the same place.
A shared, results-focused investment
Financing for the project is being shared by the SDC and Pharmakina. Switzerland is mainly supporting up-front investments with a strong social impact, for example in infrastructure, equipment and training for producers, while Pharmakina will take charge of activities long term. Part of the SDC's contribution will be paid out in tranches conditional on real results such as the opening of collection centres and higher producer incomes.
In a fragile context characterised by insecurity, elevated costs and a still-underdeveloped private sector, this type of partnership involves major challenges. Pharmakina's deep roots in the region nonetheless present an opportunity. By integrating development goals into the activities of a company expected to continue operating beyond the project, the partnership is aiming to have a lasting impact. It also helps to underpin producer incomes, consolidate an important sector for the local economy in South Kivu Province, and support the production of the quinine that is used to treat malaria. It also shows how international cooperation and the private sector can join forces to create long-term economic prospects in a fragile context.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the east of the DRC, Switzerland supports the protection of civilians, economic resilience and access to basic services through a combination of humanitarian aid, development and peace promotion.
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