Dawa Mkononi Secures Investment from Africa Health Ventures to Scale Digital Medicine Distribution in Tanzania
Dawa Mkononi Secures Investment from Africa Health Ventures to Scale Digital Medicine Distribution in Tanzania
Tanzanian HealthTech startup Dawa Mkononi has secured an investment from Africa Health Ventures, an investment firm focused on early-stage healthcare startups across Africa. The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
The investment will support Dawa Mkononi’s expansion of its digital pharmaceutical distribution platform, which connects healthcare providers with trusted medicine suppliers and aims to make pharmaceutical procurement faster, more transparent and more reliable.
Digitising Medicine Distribution in Tanzania
Founded by Joseph Paul, Clemence Exaudi, and Asorael Ayo, Dawa Mkononi is developing technology designed to address inefficiencies across Tanzania’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
The platform enables pharmacies, clinics and other healthcare providers to source medicines digitally from trusted suppliers, helping simplify fragmented procurement processes and improve access to pharmaceutical products.
Through its data-driven approach, Dawa Mkononi also aims to reduce medicine stockouts and improve the movement of pharmaceutical products between suppliers and healthcare facilities.
Expanding Access to Medicine Financing
Alongside its distribution platform, Dawa Mkononi operates Dawa Kwanza, a medicine financing programme developed in partnership with Vodacom Tanzania and NCBA Bank Tanzania.
The programme enables eligible healthcare facilities to receive medicine inventory immediately and repay the financing within 28 days, helping smaller pharmacies and clinics maintain adequate stock when facing short-term cash-flow constraints.
Dawa Mkononi has financed more than TSh1 billion worth of medicine stock through Dawa Kwanza, supporting pharmacies and clinics across Tanzania.
Africa Health Ventures Backs Dawa Mkononi
Africa Health Ventures invests in early-stage healthcare companies across Africa and identifies medicine distribution as an important opportunity to improve healthcare access through scalable business models.
The investment followed a due diligence process that included a visit by Rowena Luk to Dawa Mkononi in February.
Joseph Paul, Founder and CEO of Dawa Mkononi, said the team was encouraged by Luk’s understanding of healthcare challenges across Africa and Africa Health Ventures’ commitment to improving the sector.
Africa Health Ventures plans to work closely with Dawa Mkononi as the company accelerates its growth over the coming years.
Strengthening Tanzania’s Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
Dawa Mkononi’s model combines digital procurement, pharmaceutical distribution, data and financing solutions to address several challenges facing pharmacies and healthcare providers.
By providing easier access to trusted suppliers while helping eligible facilities finance inventory, the company aims to create a more reliable pharmaceutical supply chain and improve medicine availability.
The new backing from Africa Health Ventures is expected to support Dawa Mkononi’s next phase of growth as it expands its technology and strengthens its role in Tanzania’s healthcare ecosystem.
