In Ndola, Copperbelt Province, Zambia, on 13 February 2026, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNICEF, Gavi, and the National Center of Excellence (CoE) for Cold Chain and Vaccine Management at NORTEC, launched a nationwide campaign to strengthen vaccine storage and delivery. The initiative celebrates newly trained and graduated technicians and marks the beginning of a large-scale effort to phase out obsolete cold chain equipment while reinforcing the reliability of Zambia’s immunization supply chain. The campaign targets over 800 equipment units posing risks to service quality and environmental safety.
Permanent Secretary for Copperbelt Province, Mr. Lawrence Mwanza, emphasized that establishing the National CoE and launching the National Maintenance Campaign represents a milestone in building a skilled national workforce capable of maintaining cold chain systems and ensuring vaccines reach every child safely and on time. Reliable cold chain systems are critical for preserving vaccine potency, and Zambia has historically faced challenges due to outdated equipment and limited maintenance capacity, particularly in rural districts, resulting in missed vaccination opportunities.
The launch ceremony gathered senior government officials, technical specialists, lecturers, and student trainees, highlighting Zambia’s commitment to institutionalizing sustainable national technical capacity. Dr. Saja Farooq Abdullah, UNICEF Zambia Representative, noted that approximately 400 cold chain units are being decommissioned as part of this effort, making Zambia one of the first African countries to implement a systematic approach to protecting service quality, environmental safety, and long-term system efficiency.
The CoE at NORTEC functions as Zambia’s first official hub for specialized training, certification, and continuous professional development in cold chain and vaccine management. Its work aligns with the national Primary Health Care Strategy (2025–2030) and supports the Big Catch-Up programme, aimed at restoring vaccination rates to pre-COVID-19 levels. NORTEC Principal Eng. Martin Kasonso highlighted that the institute’s mandate is to deliver practical, industry-relevant training to strengthen national technical capacity and improve immunization outcomes.
Since its establishment, the CoE has trained 126 district and provincial technicians in advanced cold chain and solar system maintenance, creating a ready-to-deploy workforce. Over 800 cold chain units have already received preventive and corrective maintenance, and 400 obsolete units are being safely decommissioned according to technical and environmental standards. UNICEF has also distributed 130 maintenance toolkits to enhance district-level response capacity.
The campaign aims to expand training cohorts and continue safe equipment decommissioning nationwide. Additional partner support will be needed to further strengthen training infrastructure, upgrade laboratories, enhance digital learning platforms, and expand technical capacity to meet growing national and regional demand.
The initiative is funded through Gavi Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) under Gavi 6.0, UNICEF, and is jointly led by the Ministry of Health and NORTEC. It contributes to Zambia’s broader Primary Health Care Strategy, which prioritizes improving access and quality of care in rural and underserved communities, and supports the Big Catch-Up programme, which aims to restore and strengthen global immunization systems following the COVID-19 pandemic.
