Africa Health Ventures #19: How Markets Begin
Early signals point to Africa’s growing health markets
On a sunny day in Nairobi last week, regulators, entrepreneurs, and investors gathered together to take stock of how healthcare markets in Africa are doing. The evidence is clear: change is in the air. There are a dozen signals demonstrating that the forces that create markets are rapidly at work on this continent.
Let’s look at how the pan-African medicines market is opening up. In Feb 2025, AUDA-NEPAD and Africa CDC ushered in a landmark agreement between the major medicine regulators on the continent to streamline how medicines get to market across Africa. This is a key step towards creating a unified medicines market for entrepreneurs to serve the whole continent.
To increase revenue channels for social enterprises: in May 2024 South Africa signed its National Health Insurance (NHI) bill. A few months later, Kenya rolled out its Social Health Authority (SHA). Both mechanisms create new pathways for social entrepreneurs to tap into public financing (and for citizens to receive innovative, quality care from new providers). This is tangible revenue we are now seeing materialize for some of Africa Health Ventures’ portfolio companies.
At the country level, places like Ghana and Nigeria are leading the way. Since 2021 they have ensured healthtech companies have a clear regulatory framework in which to sell and distribute medicines online. These examples make it easier for new countries to come online, such as Zambia and WeCure Pharmacy.
None of this happens in a single month, but taken together, the direction is clear. From the continental regulatory framework, to trends in healthcare financing, to country-level rollout, change is in the air. For founders and investors, these milestones open up new pathways for social enterprises to scale solutions across Africa’s large and growing healthcare markets.
Read on to learn about 7 new deals, 30 opportunities, and a dozen events relevant for healthcare founders and investors in Africa.
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Deals
🤰 DeepEcho secured an investment from AAIC. The Morocco-based company has developed an AI-powered fetal ultrasound analysis platform, which in June 2025 received FDA 510(k) clearance, achieving over 95% clinical accuracy and enabling real-time automated recognition of key fetal anatomical views.
🏪 TIBU Health has received an undisclosed investment from Impacc to scale its network of “Minute Clinics” across Kenya and East Africa. The Kenyan startup partners with pharmacies to offer in-store basic health consultations.
develoPPP Ventures from DEG Impulse, an initiative of the German government, has awarded €100,000 in non-dilutive funding to two Rwandan healthcare startups as part of its 8th cohort:
⚙️ Dislog Dispositifs Médicaux (DDM) has received a $59 million capital injection from Mediterrania Capital Partners and CDG Invest Growth. The Moroccan medical‑device manufacturer designs, produces, and distributes equipment across therapeutic areas.
💨 HewaTele has received a US$10.5 million investment from AfricInvest’s Transform Health Fund to build a state-of-the-art liquid oxygen production facility in Kenya.
💉 TLG Capital has provided a $2 million senior secured debt facility to a Ugandan healthcare distributor. This funding will expand the distributor’s ability to deliver pharmaceuticals across Uganda.
💊 ICYMI: in July, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Social Engagement Fund announced 3 new investments: Kasha Global, a Kenyan eCommerce company providing last-mile health and personal-care products through a hybrid online-offline platform targeting low-income communities; Dawa Mkononi, a Tanzanian supply-chain innovator that uses data-driven logistics to ensure timely delivery of essential medicines to rural pharmacies; Reach52, a Kenyan healthtech leveraging mobile campaigns, community health worker networks, and data collection to expand access to affordable care and essential medicines in underserved areas.
News
The Ministry of Health in Kenya is planning a $250 million vaccine manufacturing facility at Konza Technopolis, aiming to become Africa’s regional vaccine hub. They are in discussions with several strategic partners including Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).
Paratus Group, a network and telecom company, has launched Connect2Care, offering health and community centers in Southern Africa priority access to 2TB of satellite-based Starlink internet to ensure stable, low-latency connectivity even in remote areas.
The MORE HEALTH for Africa Program from Boehringer Ingelheim and Villgro Africa has announced the 8 participants in its 2025 Program. These include: LifeBank from Nigeria, Medikea from Tanzania, Valorigo from DRC, Luvelo from Eswatini, Livia Health from Kenya, Kaaro from Uganda, BioCertica from South Africa, and Axon from Egypt.
Cascador announced its 2025 cohort of 11 entrepreneurs including 3 healthcare entrepreneurs:
Dare Odumade (Chekkit Technologies) uses Web3 and AI-powered B2B2C supply chain traceability infrastructure.
Aisha Bubah (The Sunshine Series) promotes mental healthcare through culturally-rooted and community-driven care.
Femi-Oyewole Toluwalope (Fortics) operates tech-enabled hospitals, pharmacies, and health insurance.
WellaHealth now supports Nigeria’s largest digital pharmacy network via its app WellaPartner, which connects 2,790 pharmacies and facilitates operations like digital payments, claims processing, and patient record management for about 2,000 active partners each week.
Pharmarun has grown from a WhatsApp-based “side hustle” into a network of over 1,000 pharmacies, moving medicine orders seamlessly across the country.
Egypt deployed the Middle East’s first locally built AI breast cancer screening tool, now live at Baheya Hospital.
EHA Impact Ventures published a set of case studies featuring innovative financing models for healthcare in Africa. These include Development Impact Bonds in Kenya and impact-linked loans in Nigeria. These structures tie funding to measurable outcomes—such as adolescent reproductive health access and low-cost care delivery—to improve accountability, flexibility, and patient reach in underserved communities.
Opportunities
Due Sept 4: AI4D’s Innovation Scaling Challenge offers up to $100,000 per project for ethically scaling AI solutions already deployed in Africa, alongside technical support and networking opportunities.
Due Sept 5: Bridge for Billions - Centre for Digital Health Innovation (CDHI) is offering an incubation program for African healthtechs running from October 2025 through February 2026.
Due Sept 7: Ebbe Nielsen Challenge is calling for innovative tools that leverage biodiversity data to advance open science. Winners will share a prize pool of up to €20,000.
Due Sept 8: Tholoana Enterprise Programme 2025 supports high-potential South African entrepreneurs with a 24-month program offering mentorship, peer learning, and business development support.
Due Sept 8: UNOPS/SEforAll’s Powering Healthcare (PHC) Innovation Fund – Round 2 invites proposals to drive innovation in healthcare facility electrification across multiple developing countries; grants of up to $80,000 are available per project.
Due Sept 10: Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa is a 3-month equity-free accelerator for Seed to Series A startups using AI to solve systemic challenges. Benefits include mentorship, technical training, global exposure, and up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits.
Due Sept 10: Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator invites social enterprises focused on women’s economic empowerment and climate resilience to apply for a 6-month virtual program. Early applications due Sept 10, final deadline Nov 1.
Due Sept 11: Leo Foundation is accepting applications for research grants that support dermatology research projects worldwide, with typical grants ranging from DKK 2–4 million (~$300-600K) for 1–3 year projects.
Due Sept 14: START Fellowship empowers young founders (18‑25, enrolled at a partner university in Africa or Latin America) with an MVP and co-founder to participate in a 3‑month accelerator in Switzerland.
Due Sept 15: Clinton Health Access Initiative & Unitaid Expression of Interest: AI‑assisted AVE for Cervical Cancer Screening invites innovators to help commercialize and deploy an AI-based Automated Visual Evaluation tool in low- and middle-income countries to aid cervical cancer screening.
Due Sept 17: IDRC & FCDO Call for Concept Notes: Socio-economic Impacts of AI in Africa offers up to CAD 1 million per project for African organizations studying AI’s effects on labour, productivity, inequality, and marginalized groups.
Due Sept 17: African Collaborative offers $50,000–$125,000 in multi-year, unrestricted grants to African-led organizations in sectors like health, education, climate, and digital futures.
Due Sept 17: Afrifoodlinks – Circular Food MSME Grant offers grants and technical support to circular food enterprises in cities like Kisumu, Cape Town, and Mbale.
Due Sept 17: Innovest Ignite Accelerator is an 8‑week fully remote accelerator for pre‑seed and seed-stage African-founded startups, offering coaching, mentorship, resources, and a live Demo-Day pitch opportunity.
Due Sept 23: Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by the Royal Academy of Engineering awards commercialisation support and up to £50,000 in prize funding to engineers in sub‑Saharan Africa.
Due Sept 30: Naspers & Prosus Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge invites women-led tech and tech-enabled startups across Africa to apply for up to $100,000 in equity-free grants, plus mentorship, investor visibility, and the chance to pitch at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in November.
Due Sept 30: develoPPP offers project funding between €100,000 and €2 million, covering up to 50% of total project costs, for established companies supporting sustainable development in emerging economies.
Due Sept 30: FoodSafety4Africa supports single applicants across Africa—start-ups, SMEs, research institutions, multidisciplinary organisations—with up to €60,000 per project to pilot or enhance food safety solutions.
Due Sept 30: L’Oréal Sustainable Innovation Accelerator invites startups and SMEs with deployment-ready climate, packaging, water, or nature-based innovations to apply for a 12-month accelerator. Startups providing hygiene or nutrition products may benefit from strategic connections to the L’Oréal Groupe.
Due Sept 30: WHO (UNOPS via UNGM) ESPEN Portal Technical Assistance invites proposals to support the development and maintenance of the ESPEN Portal (Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases).
Due Sept: Antler, Kenya is an 8-week in-person program that offers $100K for 10% in companies that pass the Antler Investment Committee.
Due Oct 8: OpenAI’s People-First AI Fund invites U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits to apply for grants from a $50 million fund supporting AI-driven initiatives that expand access to health, education, community-led research, and more
Due Oct 20: Antler, Lagos is an 8-week in-person program that offers $100K for 10% in companies that pass the Antler Investment Committee.
Due Oct 31: Eureka Network Disaster Resilience Call funds international R&D consortia in areas like resilient construction, AI early warning, health, and waste management, with projects up to 36 months and budgets typically €500k–5m.
Ongoing: The MTIC Acceleration Program in Uganda is a dynamic initiative by Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTIC), funded by JICA in collaboration with AAIC, and implemented by Hindsight Ventures.
Ongoing: SECO Startup Fund provides senior secured loans of up to $1.2 million to post-revenue startups in emerging-market countries linked to Switzerland, with 2–5 year repayment terms.
Ongoing: The Women in Africa Deal Accelerator from BCG (Boston Consulting Group) is supporting women-led founders in sectors such as healthcare.
Ongoing: Founders Pledge accepts proposals year-round and typically awards between $50,000 and $300,000, with rare grants up to $5 million. Focus areas include global health, catastrophic risk, climate, and animal welfare.
Ongoing: the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) maintains a comprehensive directory of funders for last mile distributors (including those working in health, hygiene, and sanitation).
Ongoing: Nominations for the Africa Tech Festival Awards are open. Categories include Innovation for Impact, Startup of the Year, Female Innovator of the Year, and more.
Events
Sept 1-4 in Lagos: GITEX Nigeria
Sept 2-4 in Cape Town: World Health Expo (WHX Cape Town)
Sept 8-10 in Dubai: WHX Tech including an investor program
Sept 18 in Stellenbosch, South Africa: Cape Healthtech Connect
Sept 22-25 in Saly, Senegal: The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth)
Sept 29-Oct 1 in Munich: Bits & Pretzels
Oct 7-9 in Berlin: The Impact Forum from GIIN (The Global Impact Investing Network)
Oct 13-15 in Kigali: The Africa HealthTech Summit
Oct 13-17 in Dubai: GITEX
Oct 14-15 in London: Investing in Africa
Oct 14-17 in Kigali: Inspire Africa
Oct 15-16 in Boston: STAT Summit
Oct 19-22 in Las Vegas: HLTH USA
Oct 23-25 in San Francisco: SOCAP
Nov 4 in Ingelheim, Germany & Virtual: Making More Health (MMH) Investors Day. This year MMH is hosting its inaugural Investors Day to convene investors, foundations, and corporates funding high-impact health ventures. You can RSVP here or reply to this email to receive more information about the event.
Nov 5-6 in Ingelheim, Germany: Making More Health Together
Nov 9-13 in Toronto: ASTMH
Nov 10-12 in Cape Town: 7th Global Mental Health Summit
Nov 11-12 in Berlin: Frontiers Health
Dec 2 in Nairobi: HealthAI Global Governance Forum (HealthAI GGF)
Dec 3-5 in Nairobi: Global Digital Health Forum
Snapshots from AfyaFest, TAMC, and WHX
Africa Health Ventures was recently featured at multiple industry events including AfyaFest, TAMC, and WHX with support from the Mastercard Foundation, Amref Health Africa, the Africa Health Collaborative, Villgro Africa, and the Lemelson Foundation. Keep an eye out to meet us at upcoming events including the Africa HealthTech Summit, World Health Summit, GIIN, and AESIS.
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