Led by Ulle Schauws, Member of the Bundestag for Krefeld (in the yellow jacket), a group of Members of the German Bundestag visited action medeor’s branch in Tanzania to learn about the supply of medicines and measures to prevent Ebola in East Africa. Photo: ©action medeor Info Led by Ulle Schauws, Member of the Bundestag for Krefeld (in the yellow jacket), a group of Members of the German Bundestag visited action medeor’s branch in Tanzania to learn about the supply of medicines and measures to prevent Ebola in East Africa. Photo: ©action medeor Parliamentary delegation visits action medeor: German support strengthens healthcare infrastructure in Tanzania Press releases 05 November 2026 Access to medicines, knowledge transfer, and laboratory and medical technology of the highest international quality – these were the focus of a visit by a group of MPs from the German Bundestag to action medeor’s Tanzanian site. Led by Ulle Schauws, Member of the Bundestag for Krefeld (Alliance 90/The Greens), who serves as a volunteer on the advisory board of action medeor, a four-member delegation from the Eastern Africa Parliamentary Group gained an insight into how German civil society engagement can make a tangible contribution to improving healthcare provision in Tanzania. In Kibaha, a town near Dar es Salaam, the medicines aid organisation action medeor operates a large medicines warehouse, a medical technology training centre and a production facility for blood analysis reagents – the first local production facility of its kind in East Africa. “Reagents are specially formulated liquids required to operate blood analysis equipment in any laboratory,” explained Christoph Bonsmann, General Director Africa at action medeor, to the visitors. “It is only with the help of such analyses that doctors can reliably diagnose various diseases; therefore, the availability of reagents is a crucial aspect of healthcare provision,” Bonsmann emphasised. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of the develoPPP programme, which was implemented by the German Development Corporation (DEG). However, the production of reagents is just one of several activities carried out by action medeor in Tanzania. At its Kibaha site, the aid organisation also runs a training centre for medical technology and a large medicines warehouse, which was largely funded by the Rottendorf Foundation. “From our medicines warehouse, we supply hospitals and health centres with high-quality medicines that meet international quality standards. And in our training courses, we show participants, amongst other things, how to operate, maintain and repair medical equipment,” Christoph Bonsmann explained to the visitors. This helps to significantly reduce the downtime of diagnostic equipment in hospitals. In Tanzania, the supply of medicines was scrutinised. Photo: action medeor Furthermore, action medeor recently held a special training course on Ebola prevention for healthcare workers. “Through all these activities, we aim to make a lasting contribution to healthcare provision for the Tanzanian population,” summarised Bonsmann, emphasising that action medeor – thanks in part to public funding and private donations from Germany – has been able to create more than 40 modern jobs in Kibaha. The parliamentary delegation, which included Ulle Schauws (Alliance 90/The Greens), Dr Carsten Brodesser (CDU/CSU), Derya Türk-Nachbaur (SPD) and Clara Bünger (The Left), expressed their admiration following their visit to action medeor. “It was fascinating to see how development policy objectives and civil society engagement are combined so successfully here, in a way that is beneficial and helpful to people,” said Ulle Schauws, head of the delegation and chair of the parliamentary group, summarising her impressions. “The fact that German support is creating jobs and bringing about structural improvements in the Tanzanian healthcare system – which can ultimately save lives – is very compelling proof that development policy measures work,” Schauws continued. “However, the current Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a stark reminder of just how disastrous it is when funding for development cooperation is cut, particularly in the health sector. Viruses know no borders. This makes it all the more important that we work together internationally to strengthen health systems and combat epidemics.” The visit by the Members of the Bundestag to action medeor formed part of a trip to Tanzania and Rwanda by the East Africa Parliamentary Group. In both countries, the MPs visited various human rights organisations, representatives from the development cooperation sector and the German foreign trade sector, as well as members of parliament and government representatives. The Members of the German Bundestag were also accompanied by Julia Kronberg, Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Tanzania. Your contact person Dr. Markus Bremers Staff unit Press spokesman Phone: +49 2156 9788-178 TPL_EMAIL This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.