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.
New Analysis: Private Pharmacies as a Delivery Channel for HIV, TB and Malaria Care
Private pharmacies are often the first point of contact for healthcare, yet this reality is rarely reflected in how global health programs are designed and funded. As public-sector capacity faces increasing pressure and donor funding contracts, formalizing private pharmacy channels as structured points of care may present an opportunity to sustain and expand access to treatment.
Salient Advisory’s new report, Private Pharmacies as a Delivery Channel for HIV, TB, and Malaria Care: A Rapid Assessment of Opportunities across 12 Countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, examines whether the conditions exist for private pharmacy channels to play a more structured role in the delivery of HIV, TB, and malaria care across 12 focus countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia. Read the full report here.
Proparco backed 2 innovators with financing facilities…
Eden Care, Rwanda’s first licensed digital health insurer, raised €250,000 from Proparco to support its expansion in Rwanda and Kenya. Founded in 2021, Eden Care offers affordable, personalized group health coverage to SMEs and is building an insurtech platform that automates claims processing using AI. The platform is currently connected to over 70% of Rwanda’s healthcare facilities as well as more than 600 healthcare facilities in Kenya.
Also through Proparco, this time via the Digital Africa Bridge Fund, Tibu Health secured financing to expand its primary care network in Kenya. Founded in 2020, Tibu Health operates a hub-and-spoke model built around “Minute Clinics”—small embedded clinics inside pharmacies and supermarkets, connected to a central hub offering diagnostics, specialist care, and telemedicine. The company currently runs 10 clinics across four Kenyan counties and has delivered over 45,000 diagnoses since 2024.
…as other innovators secured equity and grant funding to expand operations
Mia Healthcare Technologies, a South African e-health startup, raised $920,000 from the Vumela Fund, managed by Edge Growth and backed by FNB, to expand its network of mobile and fixed dental clinics across Southern Africa. Founded in 2021, Mia uses technology to make dental and oral healthcare more accessible and affordable.
HelpMum Africa, a Nigerian healthtech company, has been selected as one of 18 grantees for the ICONIQ Impact Child Survival Portfolio, a $100 million initiative working to reduce child mortality across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The grant will enable HelpMum to build new AI tools to support nutrition and immunization programs, and deepen the reach of its three existing AI innovations: VaxAI, an immunization support tool; MamaBot AI, a maternal health chatbot; and ADVISER, an AI system for nutrition and immunization outcomes.
New programs launched to support African healthtech innovators
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Microsoft launched a pilot program to support African startups in adopting AI tools across sectors, including healthcare. The collaboration combines EBRD’s investment experience with Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms, giving participating companies financial and technical support to identify and deploy practical AI applications.
Evon Labs launched HealthX Catalyst, a 12-week incubation programme designed to help early-stage healthtech founders in Nigeria build scalable, investable businesses. The first cohort of 12 founders has completed the program, culminating in a Demo Day at the UNDP Innovation Lab where participants presented to investors, healthcare leaders, and development partners.
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