Nigeria is Leading in Healthtech Innovation in Africa
Salient Advisory, a healthcare consulting firm, has recently released its most recent market intelligence report. This report focuses on 24 top healthtech innovation Africa-focused supply chain innovators that are poised to make a significant impact. Supported by the Gates Foundation, the report, titled “Leading Innovations Enabling Health Product Access in Africa,” highlights the emergence of a select group of African health innovators as industry leaders.
The 24 leading healthtech innovation companies, with an average of 10 years of operation, now collaborate with over 100 manufacturers and 75 public health institutions. They reach approximately 50,000 providers, who collectively serve hundreds of thousands of patients daily, and provide health products directly to millions of consumers. Notably, Kasha secured Series B investment last year and has since expanded its health technology access platform, reporting annual revenues exceeding $50 million in 2023 – the highest ever recorded by Salient’s research.
Similar to Kasha, healthtech innovation companies offering digitally-enabled Order and Inventory Management services to healthcare facilities dominate the list, accounting for 13 of the 24 featured healthtech innovation across 30 countries. Additionally, four leading Online Pharmacies serve nearly 10 million customers and generate median annual revenues of nearly $9 million. The report also highlights innovations in Product Protection and Visibility, Medical Drone Delivery, and Data Analytics.
Current leading healthtech innovation companies are now well-positioned to create a more significant impact; however, they necessitate focused collaboration from governments, donors, industry stakeholders, and global health organizations to enhance access for underserved populations and improve the cost-effectiveness of healthcare. To effectively utilize the models of these innovators in expanding access, it is essential for governments, industry, donors, and global health agencies to: streamline regulatory processes; assess the potential of innovators to generate savings for health systems, forming partnerships when robust evidence is available; and adapt contracting and payment frameworks to facilitate broader collaboration with innovators in healthcare delivery systems.
The 24 leading healthtech innovation companies highlighted in this report, listed in alphabetical order, 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.
During the report’s launch, Yomi Kazeem, Engagement Manager at Salient Advisory, remarked:
“The findings highlight the impressive resilience and increasing influence of African supply chain innovators. After monitoring healthtech innovation startups for several years, it is thrilling to witness the rise of a cohort of leading innovators. Both local and global public health communities must increasingly acknowledge and utilize these innovators to develop dependable and resilient health supply chains.”
Ann Allen, Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, also provided her insights:
Healthtech innovation driven by technology possess the capability to address longstanding issues within African health systems, simultaneously generating local employment opportunities and enhancing regional health markets. The report indicates that innovators are progressively prepared to fulfill this potential. Nevertheless, further action is necessary, as effectively utilizing these healthtech innovation to genuinely improve cost-effective access for millions of underserved Africans will demand collaborative efforts from governments, the private sector, and global health organizations. To download the full market intelligence report, please click here.
