Salient Advisory studies innovations in healthtech across the African continent. This newsletter summarizes the most interesting news we read each month. Submissions are welcome. Feel free to share.
Governments and innovators are advancing AI health solutions…
Nigeria’s federal government, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, committed $7.5 million to launch a national AI Scaling Hub focused on health innovation. The initiative aims to accelerate the development and deployment of AI-powered tools across Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in areas like diagnostics and supply chain efficiency. Alongside potentially improving health outcomes, the hub could also drive long-term infrastructure development for homegrown AI talent and solutions.
Shezlong, an Egypt-based mental health startup, launched an AI-powered therapy assistant that supports therapists by analyzing patients’ emotional patterns and offering tailored treatment insights. The tool aims to reduce the workload on mental health professionals while improving therapy quality, particularly for underserved Arabic-speaking populations. Founded in 2014, Shezlong helps patients connect with licensed therapists through online video calls.
…and are also improving health data visibility and control
Maisha Meds launched the Maisha Antimalarial Consumption Tracker (Maisha ACT), Africa’s first real-time dashboard monitoring antimalarial stock levels, pricing, and supply trends across the private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Backed by a $1.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation, the tool is designed to address critical data gaps and support more effective disease surveillance, resource allocation, and strategies to combat drug resistance. The dashboard draws on pharmaceutical export data from select manufacturing countries, donor procurement records, manufacturer shipments, and anonymized last-mile sales data from Maisha Meds’ vast network of drug shops, pharmacies, and clinics across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health is moving to reclaim control of its digital health infrastructure by migrating critical health data from US-based servers to locally hosted systems. This transition covers key platforms including the Kenya Health Information System, Kenya Master Health Facility List, and KenyaEMR, all of which are central to local patient management, disease surveillance, and supply chain management. Prompted by historic USAID funding cuts, the move reflects a broader continental shift toward local ownership and long-term sustainability in health data systems.
Funding and partnerships are driving scale and expansion
Cape Town-based Impulse Biomedical raised an undisclosed round led by E Squared Investments and ANZA Capital to expand access to its emergency medical devices. The funding will support product commercialization, clinical trials, and regulatory clearance across new markets.
Swiss-led health procurement startup Axmed received $5 million from the Gates Foundation to scale its maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) medicines marketplace, which connects institutional buyers—including ministries of health, government agencies, and non-profit organizations—with vetted pharmaceutical suppliers. The matching grant structure aims to catalyze up to $10 million in pooled orders, offering ministries of health immediate liquidity and streamlined access to quality-assured medicines.
Meditect, a Francophone Africa-focused healthtech company, received a new grant from Grand Challenges Canada. The funding will help equip thousands of health professionals in pharmacies and drugstores with pharmacy management and stock procurement tools as part of a two-year project focused on bringing digital tools to remote and underserved regions.
Sora Technology, a Japanese medical drone startup, raised $4.8 million to scale its drone-powered health interventions across Africa. Its flagship solution, SORA Malaria Control, combines drone-based vector control, such as targeted mosquito spraying, with forecasting tools that support outbreak prediction and faster public health response. Currently active in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, and Kenya, the company will use the funding to expand its field operations and grow its drone fleet.
A reminder of the viability of African healthtech innovators
Remedial Health, a Nigerian health supply chain startup, ranked third overall (and first among healthtech startups) on the Financial Times’ 2025 list of Africa’s fastest-growing companies. The ranking reports a 339% compound annual growth rate for Remedial Health and $16.3 million in 2023 revenue.
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