For the past 18 months, Nigerian healthcare provider Mobihealth has been working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in select states in Nigeria. The additional capital will allow the startup to expand outside Nigeria.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) announced Monday, Oct. 17, a grant to Nigeria's Mobihealthcare Limited (Mobihealth) for a feasibility study to support the development of its telehealth services in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Egypt.

According to USTDA’s director Enoh T. Ebong, the partnership aims to “transform the delivery of healthcare to underserved communities across Africa using the best technology that the U.S. industry has to offer.”

It is “gratifying to see women-led businesses such as Mobihealth leading the development of critical infrastructure on the continent,” he added.  

While the amount of the grant was not disclosed, the statement said the study would include a detailed market assessment, financial analysis, and legal and regulatory review for each of the four countries. The Africa Investment Forum (AIF), an initiative by the African Development Bank, will work with USTDA to facilitate the development and financing of the Mobihealth project.

A year ago, USTDA signed a memorandum of understanding with AIF to support high-quality infrastructure solutions for sub-Saharan Africa. The MoU defined cooperation areas in vital sectors such as clean energy, transportation, information and communication technology, health infrastructure, and agribusiness.

According to the USTDA release, the “project also advances the U.S. government’s Prosper Africa initiative to substantially increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa.” It will help expand access to health care for 100,000 people per year in Africa.

For Mobihealth CEO, Funmi Adewara, “the USTDA grant comes at an opportune time and will enable us to expand the scope of our integrated telehealth, electronic medical records, and digitalization services to several other African markets over the next few years.”

Samira Njoya