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.
Innovators are developing AI healthcare solutions—and evaluating their impact
Nigerian healthtech startups Clafiya and AwaDoc are partnering to expand healthcare access through an AI-powered WhatsApp chat service. AwaDoc users can seamlessly connect with Clafiya’s doctors, order medications, book lab tests, and access mental health support. Clafiya offers a platform for primary healthcare services and health savings accounts, while AwaDoc provides AI-driven healthcare guidance via WhatsApp.
HelpMum Africa, a Nigerian maternal healthtech startup, launched Stratify AI—an AI-powered antenatal care stratification tool that helps healthcare workers detect early pregnancy risks and manage complications. The tool has been introduced to the Oyo and Osun state Ministries of Health. Founded in 2019, HelpMum Africa aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality across urban and rural communities through a suite of AI-enabled innovations.
Penda Health, PATH, Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium-Keprecon, and the University of Birmingham are conducting Africa’s first clinical trial in Kenya on large language models as decision-support tools in primary care. The Nairobi-based study will assess whether AI-powered tools improve patient outcomes, enhance clinical decision-making, reduce misdiagnoses, and improve care quality for conditions such as hypertension, malnutrition, and malaria. It will also generate critical insights into AI safety and implementation challenges in African healthcare settings. The trial will involve 9,000 participants, with results expected by the end of 2025.
Governments in Nigeria and Burkina Faso adopt digital initiatives to eliminate malaria and improve health data management
In Nigeria, the Lagos State Government—working with the World Bank, World Health Organization, Society for Family Health, Maisha Meds, and other partners—launched the Pathway to Malaria Pre-Elimination and Digitization Programme. As part of the initiative, Maisha Meds’ mobile pharmacy software will be deployed in 400 additional facilities, including community pharmacies and drug shops, to standardize malaria treatment. The rollout aims to improve care for over 75,000 patients and enable cost-effective provider reimbursements at a fraction of typical costs. As a first-of-its-kind initiative in Nigeria, the program could serve as a model for how technology-driven strategies can support malaria prevention and control in other states.
In Burkina Faso, the government announced plans to roll out a hospital information system under the Presidential Health Initiative. The system will centralize medical records, improve patient tracking, and strengthen care coordination by linking hospitals to the National Information Network (RESINA) and modernizing IT infrastructure. The overarching goal is to reduce medical errors, streamline care delivery, and accelerate the shift toward a data-driven healthcare system.
Innovators are driving expansion through acquisitions, partnerships—and fresh capital
Grinta, an Egyptian digital B2B pharmaceutical marketplace, acquired Citi Clinic—a primary healthcare service chain in Egypt—with financing from Beltone Venture Capital and Raed Venture, following their undisclosed strategic investment. Founded in 2021, Grinta works with pharmaceutical stakeholders to build a data-driven, efficient supply chain that ensures pharmacy access to essential health products. The acquisition is Grinta’s fourth since its inception and marks its expansion beyond pharmaceutical supply chain management into direct healthcare services.
Reach Digital Health and eHealth Africa signed an Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen digital health initiatives across the continent. The partnership aims to deepen public health collaboration, co-develop programs and proof-of-concepts, and pursue joint fundraising. By combining eHealth Africa’s expertise in public health surveillance and data analytics with Reach Digital Health’s track record of scaling solutions like MomConnect, the collaboration is positioned to drive impactful, tech-enabled healthcare delivery.
DAYA, a venture studio focused on women’s health innovation, launched its first East African hub in Nairobi, Kenya aiming to close gender health gaps by supporting women founders to develop solutions to their own challenges. As part of its mission, DAYA seeks to take a comprehensive approach to advancing women’s health innovations beyond traditional maternal and reproductive health models.
EHA Clinics raised $2 million in equity investment from eha Impact Ventures to expand its clinic network and scale outreach programs. Founded in 2018, EHA Clinics delivers care through a network of digitally-enabled primary healthcare clinics, offering in-person consultations, telemedicine, and medication delivery.
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