By Tatenda Mutengwa
My name is Tatenda Mutengwa; I recently graduated with a Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Zimbabwe. I specialised in Computational Chemistry, a branch of chemistry that utilizes computer simulations to solve chemical problems.
Now that I have completed my undergraduate degree, I am entering the world with optimism. Higherlife Foundation has presented me to the world as worthy.
My dreams are big; sometimes, they scare me. However, I am emboldened by the role my knowledge can play in changing lives here in Zimbabwe and across Africa.
One thing I learned during COVID-19 is that Africa is behind in medicine discovery, and we cannot allow this to continue.
Africa needs its own Pharmaceutical mega industries that seek to discover medicines that address the continent’s health challenges. We should not always wait for other people’s innovations.
In ten years, I should have established a pharmaceutical and biotechnology research company here in Zimbabwe. It is an audacious dream, but I have never been one to shrink their dreams.
I know it is a long journey, but I am willing to walk through the paces. Immediately, I want to try and venture into pharmaceutical regulation, maybe end up at the World Health Organisation, before I pivot to my dream of building a pharmaceutical research company that understands our context and discovers medicines accordingly.
