By Bliss Okperan
The Bill Gates Foundation has selected nine Nigerian health startups, along with 20 others from other parts of Africa, for a $50,000 equity-free grant to boost the healthcare supply chain on the continent.
The nine Nigerian small firms were chosen as part of Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative for startups in the healthcare supply chain.
The Nigerian companies which make up the second cohort include Famasi, Aimcare, Afia, Drugstore Nigeria, Healthtracka, Octosoft Technologies Limited, Pharmarun, Pharmaserv Health Project Nigeria Ltd, and Wella Health.
The cohort includes startups that are building online pharmacies and telemedicine firms, inventory management services for pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals, supply chain data analytics, product protection, and product visibility solutions.
The beneficiaries will receive a $50,000 grant and introductions to potential customers in industry, donor agencies, and governments.
Speaking on this, the director of Global Health Agencies and Funds at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Kieren Daly, said, “As countries and global health institutions work to expand access to priority products, we face an urgent need to leverage solutions across the public and private sectors to improve health outcomes and strengthen local health systems.”
The first i3 cohort was launched in 2022 following the release of Salient Advisory’s published Market Intelligence Report and is coordinated by Salient Advisory, Southbridge A&I and the Solina Centre for Research and Development.
The cohort is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by Cencora, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Microsoft, and Chemonics.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale