Dr. Matthias Magoola was in Kigali, accepting an award under the bright lights of Rwanda’s M Hotel, when he paused to thank not just his team or family — but a continent. The Ugandan scientist and founder of Dei BioPharma had just been named one of Africa’s 100 Most Influential People, a title earned through years of quietly building something bold: a future where Africa makes its own medicines.
The award, hosted by Business Executive Media Group and the African Chamber for Trade, honors leaders shaping Africa’s economic and social path. This year’s theme — “Recognising the People Determining Africa’s Socio-Economic Direction” — fits Magoola well. For too long, Africa has relied on imported drugs, a weakness laid bare during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, with the African Union pushing for 60% of health products to be made locally by 2040, pioneers like Magoola are leading the charge.
His company, Dei BioPharma, launched in 2014, is now developing a 250-acre manufacturing campus in Matugga, north of Kampala. The site could one day host up to 30 factories. But the work isn’t just about land or buildings. It’s about science that saves lives. The company has filed 65 product applications with Uganda’s National Drug Authority — 40 approved for manufacture, 14 already cleared for sale. In September, Dei BioPharma joined the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, a continental system that lets African manufacturers bid to supply medicines across the region.
Magoola isn’t stopping there. He’s filed over 100 patent applications with the U.S. Patent Office for treatments targeting cancer, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and diabetes. More than 70 have been published. In August alone, he submitted seven new patents for mRNA-based cancer vaccines — a cutting-edge approach tailored to genetic patterns common in African patients. His vision includes affordable cancer care, homegrown vaccines, and training a new wave of African scientists.
When he spoke after the ceremony, Magoola didn’t claim the honor for himself. "We are grateful for this recognition and for the support from everyone, especially His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni," he said. But more than gratitude, his message was one of possibility. Africa doesn’t need to wait for solutions from abroad. They can be invented here, by people like him, for people across the continent. And with every patent filed and every factory planned, that future comes a little closer.