Windhoek: The construction and refurbishment of Namibia's central medical storage facilities is set to commence following the signing of a N$177.99 million contract by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services on Monday. The multimillion-dollar contract has been awarded to New Era Investment (Pty) Ltd JV Summit Trading CC following the conclusion of the procurement process by CPBN.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the project involves the construction of a new central medical store and the refurbishment of the existing warehouse, aimed at addressing the country's shortage of medical storage capacity and improving compliance with good storage practices. The existing warehouse currently has a storage capacity of about 2,900 cubic metres, against an estimated requirement of 4,600 cubic metres, resulting in a shortfall of approximately 1,700 cubic metres.

The new facility will also include office accommodation, storage racking systems, security systems, water supply, electricity, and sewer infrastructure. Speaking at the contract-signing ceremony, CPBN board chairperson Mary Shiimi emphasized the importance of the project in ensuring effective healthcare delivery, noting the vital role medical stores play in the availability of essential medicines and medical supplies across the country.

Ministry of Health and Social Services Executive Director Penda Ithindi expressed gratitude to the CPBN for facilitating the procurement process and hailed the award as an important milestone towards strengthening Namibia's medical storage capacity. He highlighted that the project would ensure medicines and other medical supplies are stored according to appropriate health, safety, and quality standards.

With the procurement process concluded and the contract signed, Ithindi affirmed that the ministry is now positioned to proceed with the implementation of the project. The CPBN stated that the project forms part of its mandate to promote efficiency, transparency, accountability, and value for money in public procurement, contributing to the timely delivery of projects aimed at improving public service delivery.