LocationsIs proper storage infrastructure is the missing link in healthcare in Zambia?
Stock, Storage and Smart Health Systems
September 30, 2025
The Smart Health Systems project is transforming storage infrastructure to safeguard medicines, cut costs, and boost health resilience in Kabompo and Luanshya.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Heat-stable pharmaceuticals are designed to tolerate ambient storage conditions up to 30°C. However, stability studies consistently demonstrate that each incremental rise in temperature above this threshold accelerates chemical degradation, diminishing drug potency and shortening shelf life.. In a country where the average daily temperature during the dry season often exceeds this threshold, the risk to therapeutic efficacy is substantial. Patients may unknowingly receive sub-therapeutic doses, undermining their recovery and, in some cases, fuelling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Resistant strains can spread rapidly across districts and provinces, posing a systemic public health threat.
The urgency for temperature-controlled warehouses has grown as the country has faced multiple outbreaks in recent years, including cholera, measles and mpox. The essential medicine, vaccines, and supplies needed to respond to such illnesses must be stored under stable conditions to preserve their potency and protect their shelf life. Without this infrastructure, even the most robust procurement and distribution systems falter at the last mile, leaving rural populations vulnerable to inconsistent treatment and eroding public trust in the healthcare system. In this way, proper storage infrastructure becomes the crucial link between investment in medical commodities and real health outcomes on the ground.
Storage, however, is only one part of the solution. In remote areas where access to healthcare and medicines is already limited, unreliable electricity compounds this challenge further. Frequent power outages disrupt operations, while fuel for generators is costly, difficult to source in sufficient quantities, and harmful to the environment, making the reliance on grid power alone unsustainable. Solarisation offers a double dividend by guaranteeing consistent, off-grid renewable energy and reducing reliance on expensive and non-renewable sources. In an era where the effects of climate change have become increasingly apparent and unavoidable, choosing renewable energy for critical health infrastructure builds resilience and ensures that Zambia’s healthcare sector adapts and contributes to broader environmental goals.
Brick by brick, Zambia is building a healthier future: Kabompo’s new warehouse is 79% complete, while Luanshya has reached 86% completion.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
“When rising heat weakens our medicines, it weakens our fight against disease. Climate-smart, solar-powered warehouses are not just infrastructure — they are our frontline defence, preserving trust in healthcare, protecting lives, and proving that resilience is possible even in the face of climate change.”- Dr Saleban Omar, UNDP’s Senior Health and Development Advisor shared.
The Kabompo and Luanshya Regional Medical Warehouses will actualize this approach. With support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are investing USD 4 million in the construction of climate-resilient, temperature-controlled hubs that will strengthen Zambia’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies and critical needs for medical supplies. Essential drugs will be stored and deployed safely through these hubs, reducing vulnerabilities during outbreaks, limiting the risk of medication resistance and preventing avoidable loss of life. This investment complements broader global health security goals and positions Zambia as a leader in climate-smart health logistics.
Standing at 1,200 square metres, 15.5 metres high and equipped with an advanced eight-tier racking system, the Kabompo regional hub will be the single largest infrastructure investments in the district. The facility integrates state-of-the-art solar-powered temperature-control systems designed to preserve the stability and potency of essential medicines. This development, quadruples the capacity of the current facility: a 600 m², single store warehouse rented from the local Catholic Church. Similarly, the upgrades to the Luanshya warehouse marks a transformative expansion. The new structure will add 4000 m² and 8000 palette spaces to the existing 2000 square metres and 1716 palette spaces. It is also set to include a much-needed cold chain store, mezzanine floor, and a 200kW solar energy system – among other amenities. Once operational, both regional hubs will significantly strengthen the resilience of the medical supply chain, safeguarding medicine integrity and ensuring consistent availability of life-saving commodities across the districts in Copperbelt and Northwestern provinces servicing over 4 million Zambians, including women and men, children, and persons with disabilities.
Aerial view of the Kabompo construction site
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Beyond storage, the hubs are designed with user-friendliness and operability in mind. The Kabompo facility includes a drivers’ station equipped with comfortable seating, digital tools, and amenities that aim to empower drivers to build digital literacy, supporting their professional growth beyond logistics. As UNDP’s Senior Health and Development Advisor, Dr. Saleban Omar, put it: “Development is not a promise, but it is happening here in Kabompo.”
This initiative exemplifies effective partnerships between the Government of Zambia, UNDP, the Global Fund, and other cooperating partners. Illustrating the people of Zambia’s commitment to bringing this facility to life and understanding the necessity of these critical facilities, former Vice President, Enoch Kavindele, donated the land upon which the Kabompo warehouse was built. During a recent visit to the project site, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Laurent Rudasingwa commended the Government’s strong commitment to the initiative. He noted that this partnership extends “beyond the medical aspect of this state-of-the-art infrastructure, with the solar panels also creating opportunities for increased economic activity and productive uses of electricity within the community.”
The District Commissioner of Kabompo, Hubert Chinyanga, echoed this sentiment, noting that the initiative “has come with a lot of promise. Many businesses will now be able to operate in this area. If you look around, you can already see people beginning to construct houses, and employment opportunities will also increase.”
The Smart Health System project also demonstrates the value of scaling innovative solutions to expand climate-smart health infrastructure nationwide. The warehouses directly contribute to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being by ensuring access to safe and effective medical supplies, and SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy through solarisation. At the national level, the project aligns with Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan, which prioritises health system resilience, infrastructure development, and climate adaptation as drivers of inclusive growth.
“We can sometimes wait weeks for medicines, and sometimes they don’t come. So, [the new warehouse] makes us feel that development has reached our community. We are excited for what this can bring for our children and families.” – Irene Muninaye, a resident of Kabompo.
Currently, 79% of the Kabompo Medical Warehouse is complete and scheduled for final delivery in November of this year, while Luanshya stands at 86% completion. These milestones signal a major step toward ensuring that every Zambian, no matter where they live, can count on safe, effective medicines when they need them most. For the people of Kabompo and Luanshya, this project represents an investment in their health, dignity, and future.
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