Dawa Mkononi, a pioneering Business-to-Business (B2B) pharmaceutical company, is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in its mission to enhance healthcare accessibility across the East African region. The company has successfully secured substantial funding from a consortium of esteemed investors, including Sanofi Global Health Unit Impact Fund, Pontem Ventures, Warioba Ventures, Villgro Africa, Axian Group, and other local venture capitalists.
This funding represents a crucial step forward for Dawa Mkononi, marking not only a financial boost but a resounding vote of confidence in the company’s vision and commitment to improving healthcare access. The investors’ guidance and partnership have played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and success.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our investors, including Sanofi Global Health Unit Impact Fund, Pontem Ventures, Warioba Ventures, Villgro Africa, Axian Group, and other local VCs. Their unwavering support and belief in our mission have been instrumental in bringing us to this point,” said Joseph Paul, Co-founder/CEO at Dawa Mkononi.
Dawa Mkononi, which translates to “Medicine at your Palms,” leverages technology to advance universal health coverage by making pharmaceuticals readily available to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and drug shops in Tanzania. The company focuses on innovations around the pharmaceutical supply chain, addressing challenges faced by the medical supplies industry, such as delays in accessing stock, price fluctuations, and counterfeit supplies.
According to Christina Mark, Customer Service Head at Dawa Mkononi, the company’s operations primarily target pharmacies, health facilities, and other registered B2B clients. The company employs a data-driven approach to improve access to medicine distribution and make medicines more available and affordable.
“Dawa Mkononi provides an easy platform for medical shops to conveniently purchase medicine and medical equipment. Our mobile application, available on both IOS and Google Play, allows customers to access a variety of medicines and medical equipment. With embedded FinTech-driven payment options, customers can pay directly, making the process faster, safer, and more convenient,” explained Christina Mark.
The company’s commitment to addressing critical issues in the healthcare sector, such as delays, price stability, and counterfeit products, has gained significant traction. Currently operating in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, Dawa Mkononi has already attracted over 1,000 active healthcare businesses purchasing from its platform in Dar es Salaam alone.
The funds raised will propel Dawa Mkononi towards expanding its reach to more locations, unlocking access to medicines in the most remote African communities. The company is steadfast in its mission to make a substantial, positive impact on healthcare accessibility and distribution.
Founded in 2020, Dawa Mkononi is a leading Business-to-Business (B2B) pharmaceutical company in Tanzania, utilizing technology to advance universal health coverage. The company focuses on innovations around the pharmaceutical supply chain, aiming to improve access to medicine distribution and make medicines more available and affordable.
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard.