Nutrition for Growth Summit: The CMA CGM Foundation will produce and deploy 10 PharmaBox, an innovation leveraging our industrial resource and a key asset for humanitarian action

On the occasion of the Nutrition for Growth Summit, held in Paris from March 27-28, 2025, the CMA CGM Foundation announces the deployment of nine additional PharmaBox in partnership with Action Against Hunger.

These units will significantly enhance access to medicines and healthcare in numerous humanitarian crisis zones across Africa. They will be installed in Chad, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Mozambique, with deployment to be adjusted as humanitarian needs evolve.

Alongside the Nutrition for Growth Summit, the Village of Solutions—held from March 26 to 28 at Parc André Citroën—highlights innovations aimed at enhancing nutrition and healthcare accessibility.

As part of this event, a PharmaBox is showcased, demonstrating its essential role in improving medical and nutritional care in humanitarian crisis zones.

As the result of a partnership between the CMA CGM Foundation and Action Against Hunger, this medical storage solution reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the supply chain for medicines and improving access to healthcare for the most vulnerable populations in countries affected by humanitarian crises.

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation: “With PharmaBox, we believe that innovation within our industrial expertise can serve as a strategic lever for humanitarian action. Following a successful first deployment in the Central African Republic, the deployment of nine additional units across Africa marks a new milestone in our commitment with Action Against Hunger. With this mobile solution, we are facilitating access to treatment for thousands of children suffering from malnutrition, where the needs are most urgent.”

Aïcha Koraïchi, President of Action Against Hunger: "Nutrition and healthcare for all are at the heart of Action Against Hunger’s mission, as more than 733 million people worldwide still suffer from hunger. Our organization faces increasing needs to expand its health programs while struggling to secure refrigerated storage for medicines in remote and hard-to-reach intervention areas. Thanks to the support of the CMA CGM Foundation, the expanded deployment of nine additional PharmaBox in Africa will help our teams overcome these logistical challenges, strengthen our healthcare and malnutrition treatment programs, and provide life-saving care to thousands of women and children."

Developed by the CMA CGM Foundation in collaboration with Action Against Hunger, the PharmaBox is a converted 40-foot container, designed as a mobile, energy self-sufficient pharmacy. It ensures the safe storage of medicines in humanitarian crisis zones, under optimal conditions:

• Controlled temperature (20-25°C) and humidity (<65%) for proper conservation of medicines.
• Storage capacity of 22m³, equivalent to 3 tonnes of medicine, enabling the treatment of 50,000 children and pregnant women annually per PharmaBox.
• Energy autonomy, powered by a 10-panel photovoltaic solar kit, independent of electrical grids or fossil fuels.
• Mobile and easy to deploy, allowing for quick transport and relocation based on humanitarian needs.

The first PharmaBox, installed in Bangui, Central African Republic, and operational since February 2025, has proven to be an effective solution for addressing humanitarian needs. Shipped from Marseille, it embarked on a multimodal journey, combining maritime transport to the port of Kribi in Cameroon, followed by road transportation to its final destination.

This first deployment has successfully demonstrated that the PharmaBox can be rapidly and safely deployed, which is essential for ensuring access to healthcare in emergency situations.

Since 2012, the Containers of Hope program has enabled Action Against Hunger to rely on the logistical support of the CMA CGM Foundation for the free transport of essential supplies to its global programs.

Thanks to this long-lasting partnership, over 7,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid have been delivered to 22 countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. This aid consists primarily of therapeutic food, necessary for treating children suffering from malnutrition.

In crisis situations where logistical challenges are significant, this collaboration is crucial in enabling Action Against Hunger to reach and support vulnerable populations.