Building Local Capacity for Health Commodity Manufacturing in Tanzania
2011
This case describes a public-private partnership aimed at preventing malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa. The case focuses on the establishment of the Olyset® Consortium - a public-private partnership that was created to facilitate the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets to prevent malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa - and A to Z Textile Mills (“A to Z”), the manufacturer of the nets in Arusha, Tanzania. The case examines how the public-private partnership was developed, its use of an incentive-based supply chain, A to Z’s business model and impact, and the sustainability of the venture. The case reveals that despite significant success in attaining objectives, the misaligned incentives of the many partners presented major obstacles to the overall sustainability of A to Z’s Olyset® production line.
Learning Objectives: To understand the potential for public-private partnerships to leverage innovation and scalability from the private sector and quality and equitable access from the public sector and to examine the costs and benefits of local manufacturing of technologically complex global health commodities in resource-limited settings.
The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigates the management decisions behind disease treatment and prevention globally. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection is a set of teaching case studies that are available for all at no cost online through Harvard Business Publishing, GHDonline, and The Case Centre.
Building Local Capacity for Health Commodity Manufacturing in Tanzania
Source:
Rodriguez W, ole-MoiYoi K. Building Local Capacity for Health Commodity Manufacturing: A to Z Textile Mills Ltd. Global Health Delivery Project, Harvard Business Publishing 2011. https://www.globalhealthdelivery.org/case-collection/case-studies/africa/building-local-capacity-health-commodity-manufacturing-z-textile-mills-ltd.