…Advances African Healthtech Innovation
Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) has announced three major healthtech partnerships at its 3rd flagship Access to Markets (A2M) event, a two-day forum designed to connect Africa’s most promising healthtech startups with strategic partners to accelerate commercialisation and impact.
The new collaborations—spanning cervical cancer prevention, malaria surveillance, and pharmacy access—signal growing global confidence in African-led health innovation.
On day one, i3 unveiled a partnership between global biopharmaceutical company MSD and Kenya’s digital health platform, MYDAWA. The collaboration aims to enhance MYDAWA’s concierge services to expand access to cervical cancer prevention through at-home and in-clinic health services, supported by online scheduling and counselling tools. MSD will provide business and technical expertise.
“This collaboration meets communities where they are, forging new paths for patient access,” said Dr Priya Agrawal, Vice President, International Health Equity and Partnerships, MSD. “Together, we’re creating sustainable and scalable solutions to break down barriers to healthcare across Africa.”
The initiative focuses on expanding access to information and services and does not include the supply or promotion of unregistered medical products.
A second major agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and Sproxil. The deal aims to strengthen malaria diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance using Sproxil’s test-to-treat model and AI-powered data systems. It will generate real-time data from pharmacies and patent medicine vendors to support manufacturers, enhance monitoring of malaria patterns, and boost accountability.
Dr Ashifi Gogo, CEO and Founder of Sproxil, described the partnership as a demonstration of African-led innovation driving “continental health transformation.” He added: “We are honoured to deploy AI-enhanced surveillance infrastructure that ensures affordable anti-malarials reach the children and families who need them most.”
The third announcement came from Boehringer Ingelheim’s Social Engagement Fund, which confirmed investments in three companies shaping Africa’s pharmacy ecosystem: Dawa Mkononi, Kasha, and Reach52.
“These partnerships reflect our belief that sustainable healthcare solutions are best built through collaboration,” said Dr Ilka Wicke, Head of Sustainability Social. “Together, we’re making meaningful progress toward improving the lives of 50 million people by 2030.”
Since July, i3 has worked closely with innovators including Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, MYDAWA, Sproxil, and Zuri Health. The programme has facilitated more than 110 introductions to investors and customers, yielding 15 partnerships valued at over $20 million.
This year’s A2M event gathered 15 leading healthtech startups serving over 66,000 healthcare providers across 12 African countries, with projections to reach 167,000 providers by 2028. Also in attendance were 41 investors, pharmaceutical manufacturers, donors, DFIs, and multilateral partners such as IFC, World Bank, Pfizer, and Grand Challenges Canada.
Oladunni Lawal, i3 Lead, said: “Healthtech startups are reshaping Africa’s healthcare landscape. Through A2M, innovators are linked with high-impact partners, enabling them to scale faster. The three deals announced on Tuesday demonstrate the pace and potential of this model.”
Senior government representatives, including Dr Abdu Mukhtar of PVAC and Dr Leke Ojewale, Adviser to Nigeria’s Health Minister, also participated.
Supported by partners including the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Health, HELP Logistics, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim, i3 says A2M continues to drive a digitally enabled future for African healthcare—powered by local innovation and global collaboration.
