Chinese Government provides $24 million grant -- via ETCA -- for National Pharmaceutical Warehouse Construction Project (Linked to Project 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 Project 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 a warehouse that can accommodate 22,000 pallets of medicines. 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. 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 June 2022. An official handover ceremony took place in October 2022.

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