ONAPHA was founded in 1980 under the Ministry of Health as a public enterprise that manufactured essential medicines for the local market and for export to neighboring countries.
[1] In 1988 the government's Service in Charge of Public Enterprises was helping prepare a rehabilitation program for ONAPHA and other public companies (CADEBU, OTRACO, OTRABU and Verundi) to form the basis for performance contracts between the government and the companies.
The Ministry of Health was its largest customer, spending 200 million BIF (67% of its budget for medicines) on ONAPHA products.
It had outdated equipment and cramped premises, and was operating at 60% of its capacity.
[4] As of March 2012 the government was negotiating with the Société industrielle pharmaceutique du Burundi (SIPHAR), a group of Indian origin, to complete the sale of ONAPHA.