Ten years have passed since the passing of Samih Darwazah, God bless his soul, yet his legacy grows more relevant with time, one that never dies, like mathematical rules: they are indispensable to tackle problems yesterday, now and after a million years.
اضافة اعلان
Darwazah's story is not just the tale of a self-made businessman who built a global pharmaceutical empire—it is the story of a man who believed in the power of vision, integrity, and nation-building through industry. His mind was wired for depth, with a belief in man's ability to turn challenges into opportunities. When it came to ambition, the sky was his limit.
Born in Nablus in 1930 and educated at the American University of Beirut and later the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in Saint Louis, Missouri, in the United States, Darwazah returned to the region at a time when few dared to dream of industrial self-sufficiency. In 1978, he founded Hikma Pharmaceuticals in Amman with a clear goal: to manufacture high-quality, affordable medicine for the Arab world and beyond. His challenge, as he once said, was to prove that medicine made in Jordan could be of a quality that equals, or even surpasses, "foreign" pharma products.
What started as a modest operation would, in time, grow into a multinational company operating in more than 50 countries. In 2005, the company floated on the London Stock Exchange, and in 2015, it entered the FTSE 100 index.
But Hikma was never just about pharmaceuticals. Under Darwazah's leadership, it became a model for what Arab entrepreneurship could look like—rooted in values, guided by long-term thinking, and grounded in a deep commitment to people. He defied the narrative that the region must rely on imports and external expertise. From the very beginning, he assembled a team of savvy pharmacists and gave every one of his employees the opportunity to pursue their education to grow professionally. That plan was so successful that some of these staff members became independent entrepreneurs, proud that they were graduates of the Hikma school.
Eventually, Samih Darwazah, whose unlimited dreams are still pursued by his two sons, Said and Mazen, placed Jordan on the map as a country capable of producing world-class medication, with a skilled workforce and a competitive, export-ready industry.
What set him apart was not only his visionary business sense, but also his principled approach. Colleagues and competitors alike always spoke of his "clean hands"—a phrase that captures both his ethical leadership and the transparency with which he conducted his business.
His contributions extended beyond boardrooms and balance sheets. He was a generous philanthropist who invested in education, particularly in underserved communities. His establishment of the all-girls state-of-the-art school in the Shobak region, among other initiatives, was rooted in his belief that opportunity begins with education—and that empowering women was essential to building a more just and prosperous society.
Moreover, he championed local industry not only out of nationalism, but also because he believed that dignity and independence are inseparable from economic self-reliance. That belief resonated deeply with a generation of Jordanian professionals who saw in him not only a role model, but also a source of national and Arab pride.
As we mark the tenth anniversary of his passing, we need to remind ourselves that his real legacy lies in the enduring relevance of his vision. In a time of global uncertainty, we find ourselves returning to the same questions he answered with action decades ago: Can the Arab world produce? How can we realize industrial progress and harness it to serve people? The answers can be found through a glimpse into his remarkable achievements.
Samih Darwazah's example continues to inspire a generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, and policymakers who believe that excellence, ethics, and impact should go hand in hand to succeed.
We owe it to his memory not merely to celebrate him—but to carry forward the noble values he embodied. After all, in humanity’s journey, heroes serve as our best examples.
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