According to a report by healthcare consulting firm Salient Advisory, South Africa leads healthtech innovation in southern Africa, housing 78% of all healthtech startups and innovators in the region. The country's dominance is likely due to its ability to attract the most venture capital (VC) funding in the region, as access to capital remains challenging in the healthtech industry.

The report, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, features nearly 350 innovators in the health supply chain across Africa and highlights the increasing partnerships between governments and health tech supply chain innovators on the continent.

Key stats from the report include:

- 33% of the companies in the region were founded in the last two years.

- 12% of the companies were solely founded by women, while 10% had a mixed-gender founding team.

- Innovators in the region have raised $7.3 million in external funding.

- 12% of companies operate in more than one country, with some expanding beyond Southern Africa.

- 7% of innovators have established government partnerships in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

The report also sheds light on funding patterns, with Plug N Play Ventures and Launch Africa being the top investors in terms of equity and debt. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Google’s Black Founders Fund have provided the highest number of grants. However, gender financing gaps exist, as companies solely founded by women have received only 2% of all reported funds over time.

The report praises African health innovators for leveraging technology to optimize supply chain solutions and improve access to medicines. The increase in government partnerships is seen as a positive development that will contribute to better health outcomes in the region.

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