MOFCOM provides $24 million grant -- via ETCA -- for National Pharmaceutical Warehouse Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#72821)

On December 1, 2015, the Chinese Government and the Government of Zimbabwe signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed RMB 400 million for several projects (captured via Record ID#72821).

RMB 90 million was earmarked from the ETCA for the initial preparatory works associated with the National Pharmaceutical Warehouse Construction Project.

However, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) ultimately provided $24 million of grant funding for the project, which involved the construction of two warehouses that can accommodate 22,000 pallets of medicines.

The first warehouse meets international storage standards for new crown pneumonia vaccines, and the second warehouse will store dangerous goods at room temperature.

At the time, the country's existing warehouse of the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) — Zimbabwe's national drug procurer — could accommodate 9 pallets of medicines. This project encountered various delays, one of which was disagreement over the location of the warehouse.

This disagreement was solved by determining that the warehouse would be built in the originally planned location of Harare.

The Harare National Pharmaceutical Project is located south of Harare Central Hospital, covering an area of about 43,000 square meters and a total construction area of about 13,700 square meters. Project implementation began in August 2019, and it was expected to end within two years (August 2021).

The construction of the warehouse -- at the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare -- was ultimately completed in April 2022. An official handover ceremony took place in October 2022.