NAIROBI - Africa’s healthcare systems suffer from serious inefficiencies. Countries across the continent struggle because of disruptions to medical equipment and drug supply chains, last-mile health-service delivery, medical data analysis and storage, and financing. But innovations in telemedicine, drones, Big Data analytics, wearables, and information management have brought the possibility of effective, affordable solutions to the fore, promising to improve overall health outcomes.

In recent years, African health tech has recorded impressive growth. More than 40 health tech startups on the continent received series A funding in 2020 alone. Recently launched firms cover a wide range of health-related fields, including genetic sequencing, drug procurement, and health literacy. The growth opportunities are enormous. But for health tech companies to thrive, entrepreneurs must study past successes and failures to determine what works and what does not in the African context.

Wisepill, established in 2007, is one of African health tech’s earliest success stories. The S