Climate & Environment

Health tech start-up expands operations in Nigeria, Kenya

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2021

Health tech start-up expands operations in Nigeria, Kenya

Field Intelligence, a health tech startup, has announced on Wednesday its expansion into Rivers, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Delta and Kwara States in Nigeria.

The start-up that is digitizing the supply chain and transforming access to essential, life-saving medicine, has also spread its operations to Eldoret, Mombasa, Kisumu and Naivasha in Kenya.

The company, in a statement, said independent and franchise pharmacies can access 1000 unique products, inventory planning, subscription delivery and Pay-As-You-Sell on the Shelf Life platform.

The expansion will build on Field Intelligence’s existing 700+ pharmacy membership, which has served over 1.4 million patients to accelerate quality frontline healthcare across Africa.

The expansion comes after a year of rapid growth in sales and Shelf Life membership subscriptions, with Nigeria increasing by 47 per cent and 65 per cent in Kenya, selling over 586,950 products in 63 different product categories.

By using data to optimise predictions and identify irregularities in the market, Field Intelligence has been able to meet the demands for prescription and over-the-counter drugs in multiple markets despite recent critical global shortages.

The digital-first, asset-light approach has enabled the start-up to build out its Pan-African solution and take the lead as the digital healthcare market gains momentum in Africa.

As well as definitive signs for scale and impact in pharmaceutical distribution and management, Nigeria has 4,500 registered pharmacies and over 15,000 drugstores, whilst Kenya has 6,000 registered pharmacies and chemists.

In 2022, Field Intelligence aims to surpass 2,000 pharmacies and drugstores using Shelf Life and by 2025 the company is targeted to have 12,000 pharmacies in its network, 4x that of Chinese pharmacy chain GouDam – making it the largest globally

Speaking on the company’s expansion Michael Moreland, CEO of Field Intelligence, said “Shelf Life’s rapid uptake across such a range of African markets is a testament to its potential as a solution for pharmacies across the continent.

“Rural and urban, East and West, we have found Shelf Life helping pharmacies overcome a shared set of challenges and seize new opportunities for growth by improving access for their patients.

“The ability of our technology to digitize, automate, and optimize planning, assortment, and fulfillment, led by an incredible team, is quickly making Shelf Life one of the largest retail pharmacy supply chains in Africa.”