By Mark Kawalya
Salient Advisory, a healthcare consulting firm, recently released a market intelligence report spotlighting 24 prominent Africa-focused supply chain innovators poised for significant impact. Funded by the Gates Foundation, the report titled “Leading Innovations Enabling Health Product Access in Africa” highlights the emergence of African health innovators despite challenging macroeconomic conditions and reduced investments in African tech ecosystems.
The 24 featured innovators, each have an average of 10 years of operation. They also partner with over 100 manufacturers and 75 public health institutions, reaching approximately 50,000 providers and directly delivering health products to millions of consumers. One notable example, Kasha, secured Series B funding last year and reported annual revenues exceeding $50 million in 2023, the highest recorded by Salient to date.
Innovators offering Digital Order and Inventory Management services to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and drug shops dominate the list, representing 13 of the 24 companies and operating across 30 countries. Additionally, four leading online pharmacies serve nearly 10 million customers, generating median annual revenues close to $9 million.
Other highlighted innovations include Product Protection and Visibility, Medical Drone Delivery, and Data Analytics. Although these innovators show promise for substantial impact, they need strategic engagement from governments, donors, industry, and global health institutions. This will enable them to enhance access for underserved populations and improve cost-efficiency in healthcare. Governments and stakeholders are urged to simplify regulatory pathways, leverage cost-saving opportunities through partnerships, and adapt contracting and payment systems to facilitate larger-scale collaborations with these innovators.
The 24 leading innovators are: Chefaa, DrugStoc, Field Inc, Figorr, Grinta, HealthPlus, Kasha, LifeBank, Maisha Meds, Meditect, mPedigree, MYDAWA, Pendulum, PharmaSecure, Remedial Health, RxAll, Sobrus, Sproxil, Talamus Health, VIA Global Health, Viebeg, Wingcopter, Yodawy, and Zipline.
Yomi Kazeem, Engagement Manager at Salient Advisory, emphasized the resilience and growing influence of African supply chain innovators, noting the importance of recognizing and leveraging these innovators to build reliable and resilient health supply chains globally.
