Unitaid’s East African Program of Oxygen Access (EAPOA) is now expanding into Tanzania, as part of a US$22 million investment that seeks to build sustainable supplies of medical oxygen across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative, which launched in Kenya in October 2024, is now entering the second phase in Tanzania. His Excellency Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa attended the official groundbreaking ceremony today in Dar es Salaam.
“Expanding local oxygen production is a crucial step toward ensuring no patient goes without this lifesaving resource,” said Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa. “This investment enhances our ability to meet growing demand, making our supply more self-sufficient and reducing reliance on external sources. Now more than ever, building long-term capacity within our region is essential. We welcome this collaboration with Unitaid, CHAI, TOL Gases Plc, and other key partners to improve access to medical oxygen in Tanzania and across neighboring countries.”
Medical oxygen is a lifesaving, essential medicine, yet it remains scarce in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries have access to less than 10% of what they need, putting patients at risk. Oxygen is critical for treating pneumonia, COVID-19, advanced HIV, severe tuberculosis and malaria, as well as supporting maternal care, surgery, and emergency treatment. Closing this gap requires both immediate action and long-term, sustainable solutions to meet growing demand.
The EAPOA is constructing new oxygen production facilities across the region and establishes supply lines using a hub-and-spoke model. Central production sites (hubs) distribute oxygen to smaller facilities and remote locations (spokes), ensuring wider access. The first phase began with the construction of oxygen production facilities in Mombasa and Nairobi, Kenya, creating key hubs for the production and distribution of liquid medical oxygen.
As part of this next phase, TOL Gases Plc, a mid-size Tanzanian oxygen supplier, in collaboration with Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and regional partners, is expanding production capacity within a growing network of liquid oxygen plants – known as air separation units – strategically positioned to reach underserved communities. This partnership ensures that facilities will not only supply Tanzania but also support neighboring countries, including Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia, strengthening access to lifesaving oxygen across the region.
“At TOL Gases, we believe that access to medical oxygen is not a privilege – it is a fundamental right to an essential medicine,” said TOL Gases Limited Managing Director Daniel Warungu. “We are proud to stand at the forefront of this transformative partnership to expand oxygen production and reach across Tanzania and neighboring countries.”
Together, the manufacturers across Kenya and Tanzania will triple regional production capacity, adding over 60 tons of oxygen per day. This expansion will enable thousands more patients to receive lifesaving treatment each month reduce oxygen prices by up to 27%, ensuring long-term sustainability and a stronger regional oxygen market.
In Kenya and Tanzania alone, an estimated 990,000 children suffer from acute illnesses every year that require medical oxygen. By increasing production and improving affordability, the EAPOA will significantly expand access to oxygen, helping to save lives and strengthen healthcare systems across the region.
“Unitaid is committed to supporting initiatives that drive long-term impact,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. “By focusing on sustainability, market competition and affordability, we are ensuring that medical oxygen becomes an integrated, self-sustaining part of the healthcare system in East and Southern Africa.”
The EAPOA uses a blended financing model, combining grant funding from Canada and Japan with potential support from MedAccess through volume guarantees where appropriate. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) will lead implementation in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, PATH, and other development partners.
“Expanding regional oxygen production is a vital step toward stronger, more resilient health systems,” said Esther Mtumbuka, CHAI Tanzania Country Director. “By working with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Unitaid, and leveraging innovative financing, we are building a sustainable, locally driven oxygen supply – one that ensures facilities have reliable, affordable access now and in the future.”
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored a critical lesson: oxygen must be a permanent part of healthcare infrastructure, not just an emergency intervention. Ensuring sustainable access requires a stronger focus on regional manufacturing and locally driven solutions that can meet long-term needs.
Note to editors:
Understanding medical oxygen production
There are three main ways to produce medical oxygen: oxygen concentrators, small, portable systems that sit by a patient’s bedside and produce oxygen, but can only offer low pressure oxygen flows of up to 15L per minute; Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants, very large, complex oxygen generators that require high amounts of electricity and pressure; and air separation units (ASU) that produce bulk liquid oxygen, which is stored in large tanks and then vaporized to gaseous medical grade oxygen and fed into a hospital system. Liquid oxygen produced by ASU plants is seen as “best-in-class” and is most commonly used in countries with robust health care facilities.
About Unitaid
Unitaid saves lives by making new health products available and affordable for people in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid works with partners to identify innovative treatments, tests and tools; helps tackle the market barriers that are holding them back; and gets them to the people who need them most—fast. Since it was created in 2006, Unitaid has unlocked access to more than 100 groundbreaking health products to help address the world’s greatest health challenges, including HIV, TB and malaria; women’s and children’s health; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Every year, these products benefit more than 300 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization.
About Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and improving health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries by enabling the government and private sector to strengthen and sustain quality health systems. For more information, please visit: www.clintonhealthaccess.org
