Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) has wrapped up its third annual Access to Markets (A2M) convening—a two-day forum created to connect high-growth African healthtech innovators with partners capable of accelerating their commercial expansion. The 2025 edition delivered its strongest outcomes yet, with the announcement of three major agreements set to reshape cervical cancer prevention, pharmacy-driven healthcare access, and malaria diagnostics on the continent.
MYDAWA and MSD Launch Joint Effort to Advance Cervical Cancer Prevention
The first of the new collaborations pairs global healthcare company MSD with MYDAWA, one of East Africa’s leading healthtech platforms.
The partnership will support MYDAWA in strengthening its concierge service channel to expand access to essential health services, including both at-home and in-facility options supported by digital booking tools and patient education.
MSD will contribute technical and business expertise to help scale MYDAWA’s service model, demonstrating the value of cross-border innovation between multinational companies and African digital health leaders.
The initiative focuses strictly on improving access to quality information and services; it does not involve the supply or promotion of unregistered vaccines or medicines.
“We’re thrilled to support MYDAWA in reshaping how people access care,” said Dr. Priya Agrawal, Vice President, International Health Equity and Partnerships at MSD. “By combining purpose-driven technology with strong local insights, we’re creating new pathways for access that remove long-standing barriers for communities across Africa.”
The second deal announced at A2M centers on malaria control.
Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the Federal Ministry of Health’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and technology company Sproxil signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand nationwide access to malaria screening and treatment.
Sproxil’s “test-to-treat” framework and AI-powered malaria surveillance tools will capture real-time information from pharmacies and patent medicine vendors. This data will help track treatment distribution, monitor malaria trends, and enhance accountability across the supply chain.
The partnership directly supports national goals to reduce malaria prevalence to below 10% and cut malaria-related mortality to fewer than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“This collaboration proves that African-led innovation can meaningfully transform public health,” said Dr. Ashifi Gogo, Sproxil’s Founder and CEO. “Our system turns everyday medicine verification into real-time disease intelligence—ensuring families get safe anti-malarials while providing government with actionable data.”
Boehringer Ingelheim Expands Investment in Pharmacy-Focused Startups
The third announcement came from Boehringer Ingelheim’s Social Engagement Fund, which confirmed new investments in three companies shaping the future of pharmacy across Africa: Dawa Mkononi (a 2025 i3 cohort member), Kasha, and Reach52.
“We are proud to support innovators delivering real impact at community level,” said Dr. Ilka Wicke, Head of Sustainability Social at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Collaboration between local visionaries and global partners is essential to building sustainable health systems. Together, we remain committed to improving the lives of 50 million people by 2030.”
A2M 2025: A platform delivering real results
Since July, i3 has worked hands-on with Africa’s leading pharmacy-focused innovators—including Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, MYDAWA, Sproxil, and Zuri Health.
The program has facilitated over 110 tailored introductions to investors and customers, enabling 15 partnerships valued at more than $20 million.
The speed is unprecedented: more than one new partnership emerging every week.
This year’s A2M convening featured 15 high-impact startups whose technologies already support over 66,000 healthcare providers in 12 African countries, with projections to reach 167,000 providers by 2028.
Also in attendance were 41 investors and health sector partners, including the World Bank, IFC, Pfizer, Grand Challenges Canada, Causal Foundry, Proqurable, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, PVAC, and major pharmaceutical manufacturers.
“Healthtech innovators are increasingly driving the transformation of African healthcare,” said Oladunni Lawal, Investing in Innovation Lead. “Through Access to Markets, we’re connecting them with the partners who can scale their impact. This year alone, we facilitated more than 100 meetings and unveiled three groundbreaking deals.”
High-level government participation
The event also hosted senior government officials, including keynote speaker Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, and Dr. Leke Ojewale, Senior Technical Adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Health.
Building the future of African healthcare
Through A2M and other initiatives, i3 aims to foster a resilient, digitally enabled health ecosystem in Africa—one where local innovators lead and global partners provide the scale and resources needed to deliver continental impact.
The program is supported by major sponsors including the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Health, HELP Logistics, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
What’s your opinion on this new story?
