i3 links African startups with global pharma in three major deals targeting cancer, malaria, pharmacy access

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) has announced three deals that directly connect African healthtech startups with global pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, accelerating access to cervical cancer services, next-generation malaria surveillance, and modern pharmacy networks across the continent.

The agreements, unveiled at i3’s third annual Access to Markets event in Lagos, pair MSD with Kenya’s MYDAWA, Boehringer Ingelheim with three pharmacy-platform companies, and Nigerian federal health bodies with Lagos-based Sproxil in partnerships designed to move quickly from pilot to scale.

MSD and MYDAWA unveiled a collaboration aimed at supporting MYDAWA in enhancing their concierge channel services to strengthen efforts related to cervical cancer elimination. Through this initiative, MYDAWA will expand access to health-related services, such as at-home and in-clinic options, supported by online booking tools and educational counselling.

MSD’s contribution focuses on business and technical expertise, which demonstrates how a collaboration between regional and global innovators can develop new healthcare solutions to people through novel, patient-centered models that help reduce barriers to accessing healthcare.

This initiative is centered on improving access to information and services. It does not involve the supply, promotion or distribution of any vaccines or medicinal products that are not registered.

Dr. Priya Agrawal, vice president, International Health Equity and Partnerships, MSD, said, “We are excited to support MYDAWA in improving access to healthcare, powered by purpose and technology. Together, we are meeting communities where they are, forging new paths for patient access and creating health markets. This is how we break down barriers across Africa, through collaborations that enable sustainable and scalable solutions.”

A Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) under the Federal Ministry of Health, and Sproxil to combat malaria by improving access to diagnostics and treatments. The partnership leverages Sproxil’s test-to-treat model and AI-powered malaria surveillance to provide real-time data from pharmacies and patent medicine vendors, enabling collaboration with pharmaceutical manufacturers and giving NMEP insights to track distribution, monitor disease patterns, and ensure accountability. This initiative supports Nigeria’s targets of reducing malaria prevalence to below 10 percenr and malaria-related deaths to under 50 per 1,000 live births.

Commenting on the partnership with PVAC and NMEP, Dr. Ashifi Gogo, CEO and founder of Sproxil said, “We are honored to partner with Nigeria’s NMEP and the PVAC in deploying AI-enhanced surveillance infrastructure that transforms every consumer product verification into timely epidemiological intelligence. This partnership demonstrates that African-led solutions, when properly supported, can drive continental health transformation while ensuring affordable anti-malarials reach the children and families who need them most.”

Boehringer Ingelheim’s Social Engagement Fund celebrated recent investments in 3 companies driving the future of pharmacy across Africa: Dawa Mkononi (a member of the latest i3 cohort), Kasha, and Reach52.

Read also: Ten venture capital firms powering Nigeria’s tech startups

“We are delighted to invest in three additional startups that deliver a strong impact to communities across Africa. These partnerships reflect our belief that sustainable healthcare solutions are best built through collaboration, with local innovators who understand the needs on the ground and with global partners who can help scale their vision. Together, we are making meaningful progress toward our goal of improving the lives of 50 million people by 2030. We are thrilled to celebrate progress with our partners who share this vision across the i3 program,” Dr. Ilka Wicke, head of Sustainability Social averred.

Since July, i3 has been working closely with leading innovators focused on the future of pharmacy care in Africa, including Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, MYDAWA, Sproxil and Zuri Health, completing more than 110 bespoke introductions to customers and investors, generating 15 partnerships with a potential value exceeding $20 million. At an unprecedented pace of more than one advancing partnership per week, i3 continues to deliver best-in-class growth advisory support to African healthtech innovators.

This year’s A2M brought together 15 leading African healthtech startups, whose innovations already power more than 66,000 healthcare providers across 12 African countries and are on track to reach over 167,000 providers by 2028, demonstrating a powerful channel for improving patient access and strengthening health systems.

A2M also convened 41 prominent investors, global and regional pharmaceutical manufacturers, donors, development finance institutions, and multilateral agencies—including Grand Challenges Canada, IFC, World Bank, Pfizer, Causal Foundry, Proqurable, Federal Ministry of Health, PVAC, and i3’s sponsors—who are all working to accelerate scalable innovations, create jobs, and expand healthcare impact across the continent.

“Leading healthtech startups are an increasingly powerful force across Africa, reshaping the continent’s healthcare landscape. Through Access to Markets, these innovators are linked with strategic, high-impact partners across industry, government, donors, and global health agencies, enabling them to better scale their solutions. This approach is rapidly delivering tangible results, as evidenced by the more than 100 meetings being held at this year’s event and the 3 deals announced today,” said Oladunni Lawal, lead, Investing in Innovation.

The two-day Lagos summit hosted 41 investors, pharma giants, donors, and multilateral agencies, including Pfizer, IFC, the World Bank, and Grand Challenges Canada, with more than 100 one-on-one meetings taking place. i3’s current portfolio of seven pharmacy-focused companies already powers 66,000 healthcare providers across 12 African countries and is on track to reach 167,000 by 2028.

For global drugmakers confronting slowing growth in traditional markets, the deals highlight a clear shift, in that, Africa’s digital health platforms are increasingly seen as the fastest, most scalable route to millions of new patients.

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.

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