Dear subscriber,
The arrival of the first “medical supermarket” for the whole continent hints at a new era of supply control. What this means for local pharma and disease outbreaks is worth a closer look.
Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor
Africa is no longer fully dependent on global medical stockpiles for emergency responses, following the launch of Africa’s first medical warehouse by the Africa CDC in Ethiopia. The continental health agency now has physical infrastructure to procure and deploy critical medical supplies directly when countries need them.
Global stockpiles have repeatedly failed African countries during crises. Cholera vaccines are the most recent example. Since 2022, some African countries have not been able to run preventive campaigns because the global stockpile, based in South Korea, was empty.
Centralised warehousing gives African pharmaceutical manufacturers clearer demand visibility and faster procurement cycles. It also enables the Africa CDC to prioritise inventory from local producers.
Our take: Local manufacturing has been a policy talking point by global health partners for years. Africa’s first medical warehouse is a step in that direction…Read more (2 min)
Even after half a century of vaccination programmes, many African communities still resist vaccines, with the view that they are foreign interventions that conflict with traditional beliefs about health. Dr Frankline Sevidzem Wirsiy, a global public health professional, explores how indigenous knowledge and cultural dynamics influence immunisation.
“One of the most overlooked factors in immunisation programmes is the level of trust communities place in traditional healers and indigenous health systems,” says Dr Wirsiy. “These beliefs should not be treated only as barriers. Instead, they should be understood as systems that can be studied and aligned with immunisation goals.”
In his research paper titled ‘The role of indigenous knowledge and cultural dynamics in immunisation uptake in Africa’, Dr Wirsiy developed the LET framework to integrate traditional beliefs and cultural dynamics into vaccine campaigns.
Read the full Q&A…Read more (2 min)
Three healthcare startups received funding in the month of January. At least $3.5 million was raised with Sora Technology topping the list with $2.5 million in venture capital. FitXpert followed with a venture capital of $1 million while Mamy Eyewear raised an undisclosed amount. The funding is 8 times lower than the previous month’s $27.6 million.
Sora is a startup using drones and artificial intelligence to fight infectious diseases and the funding supports its malaria elimination efforts across Africa.
FitXpert received funding to expand its digital fitness and nutrition services while Mamy Eyewear aims to expand optical services with the new funds.
Our take: There is a funding gap for women led healthcare startups in Africa. All the three funded startups in January are male founded and have male CEOs…Read more (2 min)
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Source: Zipline
Rwanda becomes Africa’s first country with nationwide Zipline health drone delivery
Events
🗓️ Attend the 2026 Africa Health Conference (February 21)
🗓️ Plan to be at the Primary Health Care Congress Kenya (March 4)
🗓️ Register for the Africa Health Business in Kenya (April 21)
🗓️ Participate in World Health Summit in Kenya (April 27)
Jobs
🧑⚕️ Be a Child Healthcare Specialist (North Africa)
🧑⚕️ Apply to be an Epidemiology & Surveillance Officer at FHI360 (Zambia)
🧑⚕️ Join PATH as a Health Information Systems Developer (Ethiopia)
Various
💉 African Development Bank invests $33.64 million in health innovation
💉 Researchers utilise AI to fill the global health care gap
💉 Nigeria seals a $154 million deal to expand cancer care
Seen on LinkedIn
Michael Ouma, a Global Health Expert, says, “True health security for Africa is not found just in hospitals and treatments, but in daily acts of prevention like ensuring mosquito nets and good nutrition.”