i3 Announces 4 New Deals at 4th Access to Markets Event, Driving the Future of Healthcare Innovation Across Africa

Kigali, Rwanda. Tuesday, 29th September, 2026 – Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative designed to help African healthtech startups scale and commercialize their offerings, today announced 4 strategic partnerships between leading African healthtech innovators and global, regional, and private sector partners at its 4th annual Access to Markets (A2M) event.

The new transformative deals will focus on supporting chronic disease care, expanding patient access to affordable and safe medicines, and strengthening pharmacy regulation through digital and artificial intelligence systems.

• Dawa Mkononi and NMB Bank signed a working capital deal to expand interest-free credit to pharmacies, drug shops and health facilities across Tanzania, delivered through Dawa Mkononi's proprietary credit scoring engine, which has already disbursed over USD 6 million to frontline facilities at a 0.3% non-performing rate. 

• MYDAWA and Endless Health signed a partnership to co-design, test, and document a scalable, digital-first model of hypertension and diabetes care for low-and middle-income patients. This model, created in partnership with Ariadne Labs, will also help build an evidence base for delivering chronic disease care through a private pharmacy platform in East Africa. MYDAWA is also partnering with Turn.io, a WhatsApp-based engagement platform, to make communication with patients easier and more accessible.

Rubayat Khan, Director of Health Programs, Endless commented: "Chronic disease care in East Africa is being delivered through private pharmacies whether the system plans for it or not. What is missing is evidence about whether that channel can deliver quality, not just convenience, which is exactly what this partnership with MYDAWA and Ariadne Labs is designed to produce."

“Private pharmacies remain a critical first point of care for people living with noncommunicable and chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which are increasingly prevalent across Africa. This partnership gives us an opportunity to make access more affordable and strengthen care delivery for patients in their own communities,” said Priscilla Muhiu, Group COO of MYDAWA.

• Meditect has received debt financing from Boehringer Ingelheim, supporting the company’s mission to expand access to affordable, safe and authentic, high-quality pharmaceuticals across Sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership will enable Meditect to extend its coverage across new and existing markets while helping to digitise pharmaceutical supply chains. 

“Everyone deserves access to safe, high-quality medicines, irrespective of where you live. Today, Meditect is helping make this a reality in Sub-Saharan Africa. By strengthening trusted pharmaceutical supply chains and helping patients access authentic medicines, Meditect is also playing a critical role in tackling the widespread challenge of counterfeit and substandard medicines across the region. We are proud to support their expansion, ensuring that more patients can more easily find affordable and authentic pharmaceuticals, whenever and wherever they might need them. I'm excited to see how they'll scale up their enormous potential in the future,” shared Aditya Peri, Associate Director at Boehringer Ingelheim.

• Sproxil and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) signed a Memorandum of Collaboration to support pharmacy regulation in Nigeria through digital and artificial intelligence systems. The partnership will focus on the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform, oversight of online pharmaceutical sales, digitisation of PCN’s field audit workflow, and expanded delivery of Mandatory Continuing Professional Development for pharmacists. The collaboration will see PCN retain full regulatory authority, with Sproxil providing the underlying technology and data infrastructure.

These deals build on i3’s proven track record of deal facilitation for African health startups, having generated over 760 bespoke introductions, resulting in 165 partnerships, pilots and Memorandums of Understanding valued at over $19 million. As of April 2026, i3 innovators have served over 6.85 million patients and tracked, protected and distributed over 209 million health products, demonstrating i3’s growing impact on patients’ access to essential care and safe medicines across Africa. 

Held alongside the Africa HealthTech Summit, this year's A2M event convened 20 leading local innovators, including i3’s current Future of Pharmacy cohort - Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, MYDAWA, Sproxil, and Zuri Health. Together, they are expanding patient access and safety through 3,500 health facilities across 19 African countries, helping strengthen the continent’s health systems and improve quality healthcare delivery. 

A2M was also attended by 57 leading global and regional industry players, including GAVI, J&J, Pfizer, BillionScale Health, AMREF, and several government institutions creating a unique platform for collaboration between innovators, investors, policymakers and healthcare stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of scalable healthcare solutions across Africa.

Speaking at this year’s event, Oladunni Lawal, Investing in Innovation Lead, said: “African innovators are reshaping healthcare delivery across the region, with solutions designed to address local gaps and reach the communities and patients who need them most. Through Access to Markets, we are bringing regional and global partners closer to these businesses, opening commercial opportunities that enable their innovations to deliver greater health impact. Now in its fourth year, A2M is demonstrating the value of this approach, with today’s deals committing financing and expertise to stronger pharmacy networks and more accessible chronic disease care.” 

Access to Markets is i3's flagship event for collaboration between Africa's leading healthtech innovators and regional and global health organizations and industry players, offering a unique platform for networking, end-to-end deal facilitation, and market partnerships that create sustainable pathways for growth and enable locally developed solutions to deliver impact at scale.

i3 is supported by its dedicated sponsors–the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Health, HELP Logistics, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim–and implemented by Salient Advisory and the Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR).

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For additional information, please contact  Salient@wimbart.com 

About i3

Launched in 2022, the Investing in Innovation (i3) program is a pan-African initiative aiming to support African healthtech start-ups to commercialize and scale their offerings, by connecting them to a global network of donors, governments, and the private sector to champion both economic and health outcomes. i3 is funded by the Gates Foundation, and sponsored by MSD, Cencora, Endless Health, HELP Logistics, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingleheim.

About the Gates Foundation 

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyone—especially those with the fewest resources—has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/  

About MSD 

At MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA in the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.msd.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) , LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Cencora 

Formerly known as AmerisourceBergen, Cencora is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization centered on improving the lives of people and animals around the world. Cencora partners with pharmaceutical innovators across the value chain to facilitate and optimize market access to therapies. Care providers depend on Cencora for the secure, reliable delivery of pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, and solutions. Cencora’s 46,000+ worldwide team members contribute to positive health outcomes through the power of Cencora’s purpose: Cencora is united in its responsibility to create healthier futures. Cencora is ranked #10 on the Fortune 500 and #18 on the Global Fortune 500 with more than $290 billion in annual revenue. Learn more at http://cencora.com. 

About Endless Health 

Focused on empowering communities through holistic and integrated primary care, Endless Health makes catalytic investments in innovative tools and interventions that enhance healthcare access and outcomes, such as enabling patients and frontline providers with AI, engaging pharmacies in primary care, and aligning provider incentives with patient-centered measures of experience and outcomes. Their mission is to bridge healthcare gaps worldwide by leveraging technology to create sustainable, inclusive health systems. Learn more at https://www.endlessnetwork.com/initiative-health.html  

About HELP Logistics 

As a unique non-profit subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation, HELP Logistics AG has been advancing logistics excellence in the humanitarian and development sectors since 2014. Headquartered in Switzerland, we operate across the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Our mission is to act as a global catalyst for advancing supply chain and logistics expertise to enhance the lives, opportunities, and resilience of people, communities, and economies worldwide. For more information, visit: https://www.help-logistics.org 

About Sanofi’s Global Health Unit 

Sanofi’s Global Health Unit is a pioneering, not-for-profit social business model with a mission to improve the lives of underserved populations in 40 countries with the highest unmet medical needs. We achieve this through innovative, inclusive healthcare models and partnerships, delivering a sustainable impact. Established in 2022, the Impact Investment Fund is focused on supporting the scale-up of businesses to improve access to healthcare by supporting startup companies and other innovators who can deliver scalable solutions for healthcare in underserved regions. For more information, visit: https://www.impact.sanofi/. 

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. As one of the industry’s top investors in research and development, the company focuses on developing innovative therapies that can improve and extend lives in areas of high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in 1885, Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability along the entire value chain. Our approximately 54,500 employees serve over 130 markets to build a healthier and more sustainable tomorrow. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com. 

About Salient Advisory 

Launched in 2020 with a globally distributed team in Kenya, Nigeria and Canada, Salient Advisory helps changemakers enact transformative approaches to health. The company analyses and supports partnerships to use technology and innovations, adapt policy and financing, and elevate unheard voices to change global conversations and transform access to care. Learn more at https://www.salientadvisory.com/. 

About SCIDaR 

SCIDaR is an indigenous, Nigeria-based health systems consulting and implementation non-profit organisation that works with governments, development organisations, and the private sector to optimise population health outcomes. It applies proven business and market-shaping techniques and utilises its relationships and understanding of Africa's public and private sector health system actors to ensure sustainable impact. Learn more at https://scidar.org/.

About Chefaa

Chefaa is an AI-powered GPS enabled platform which enables patients to order, schedule and refill their prescriptions across Egypt. Orders can be fulfilled in 90 minutes through partner pharmacies or pre-scheduled at discounted prices. Differentiates itself through medication guides, medication reminders and telepharmacy services. Chefaa also provides data and insights for pharma companies, insurance and BNPL offerings to retail pharmacies. Learn more at www.chefaa.health.

About Dawa Mkononi

Dawa Mkononi is a B2B pharmaceutical supply chain platform leveraging technology and embedded financing to streamline medicine distribution for drug shops, pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals. Differentiates itself through AI-driven demand forecasting, real-time inventory tracking, and a buy-now-pay-later model powered by an in-house credit scoring system, ensuring fast, affordable, and compliant medicine procurement. Learn more at www.dawamkononi.co.tz.

About mPharma

mPharma enables access to health products through a vast chain of retail pharmacies operating across 8 countries. For providers, mPharma provides inventory management services, ensuring availability of quality medicines. For patients, mPharma provides a range of primary care services, leveraging nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. Learn more at www.mpharma.com.

About MYDAWA

MYDAWA is a hybrid digital and physical healthcare platform operating a bricks-and-clicks model to provide medications, teleconsultations, diagnostics, and insurance-integrated healthcare. Differentiates itself through vertically integrated generics manufacturing, which drives lower costs (up to 30%) and ensures quality, making healthcare more affordable and accessible. Learn more at www.mydawa.com.

About Meditect

Meditect is a B2B SaaS platform digitizing pharmacy management and data-driven healthcare analytics across Francophone Africa. Differentiates itself through cloud-based pharmacy management software, AI-powered credit scoring for instant financing, and data monetization for pharmaceutical companies and public health organizations. Learn more at www.meditect.com.

About Sproxil

Sproxil started as a mobile-based drug authentication platform tackling counterfeit medicines but has evolved into a comprehensive healthtech solution. In addition to its product protection and visibility offerings, it now provides real-time pharmaceutical market data (Sproxil Surveys), an AI-powered patient engagement platform (AISHA), and tech-driven accountability systems to improve supply chain transparency, medication safety, and public health decision-making. Learn more at www.sproxil.com.

About Zuri Health 

Zuri Health is a virtual hospital and full-service telemedicine platform that delivers on-demand care through its mobile app, website, WhatsApp chatbot, and SMS. Patients speak with licensed doctors, order medicines through an integrated online pharmacy, and receive doorstep delivery. They book lab and diagnostic tests, get samples collected at home, and share results with clinicians for follow up. The platform also supports home visits and structured chronic care programs, giving patients continuous, coordinated support outside traditional facilities. Zuri Health’s model brings a complete primary care experience into a single, easy-to-use digital service. Learn more at https://zuri.health/