Zambia has become the first country to inaugurate a solar-powered health facility under Gavi’s Health Facility Solar Electrification (HFSE) programme, which aims to power 250 clinics across the country. This initiative marks a significant step toward improving healthcare delivery in remote and underserved communities, providing reliable electricity for medical equipment, lighting, and digital tools, and ensuring that vaccines and critical health services remain operational around the clock.
Backed by approximately US$28 million in funding, the HFSE programme will install 5–8 kWp solar photovoltaic systems and cold chain equipment across 1,277 health facilities in Zambia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Uganda. The initiative builds on Gavi’s Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform (CCEOP) by testing the feasibility of fully solarising health facilities, rather than only powering cold chain equipment, with the goal of unlocking co-investment and sustainable long-term government support.
Once completed by June 2026, the solarisation project is expected to benefit an estimated 25 million people across the four countries, including 1.3 million in Zambia alone. Reliable electricity in these clinics will expand access to immunisation services, maternal and primary healthcare, and clean water, addressing long-standing energy gaps that compromise vaccine potency, delay emergency care, and threaten the safety of mothers and newborns.
By bringing renewable energy to healthcare facilities, the HFSE initiative strengthens both health systems and community resilience while contributing to climate resilience amid increasing extreme weather events. Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, highlighted that solarisation is more than a technical upgrade—it is a lifeline that ensures health workers can provide safe, continuous care, vaccines are properly stored, and critical services remain accessible day and night.
Designed as a learning agenda under Gavi’s broader CCEOP, HFSE generates evidence to guide future investments in sustainable energy for health systems. By addressing energy gaps in vaccine storage, essential medical services, and maternal and child health, the initiative supports equitable access to life-saving services and advances progress toward universal health coverage in remote and vulnerable communities.
