Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Introduction of new mPharma’s leadership.
- Mission-Driven Approach: mPharma’s guiding vision is “an Africa in good health,” focusing on bringing healthcare directly to communities, particularly through access to well-stocked pharmacies and transforming them into primary healthcare centers.
- Technology and Data Innovation: 2025 as a year of technology, innovation, and AI, with significant emphasis on their in-house Bloom software, telemedicine, and the use of data to enhance chronic disease management and patient care.
- Local Context and Expansion: mPharma operates in seven African countries, adapting strategies to local nuances such as currency fluctuations and energy challenges, and is expanding further (e.g., into Francophone Africa) to increase resilience and growth.
- Addressing Accessibility and Affordability: Through surveys and community engagement, mPharma identified that affordability and proximity to medicines are major barriers, so their model tailors solutions to real patient needs, including accessible pricing and aftercare.
- Talent and Mindset for the Future: For the future of African healthcare, Arhin stresses the need for innovators and open-minded individuals willing to do groundwork and troubleshoot local challenges, seeing resilience and initiative as essential qualities.
EF: What mission were you given when you were appointed as CEO?
KA: Our vision is to see an Africa in good health. Everything we do is geared toward that. Our mission is about bringing healthcare closer to the doorsteps of patients and into the community. We have remained consistent with our vision and mission over the years.
This mission is built on three main questions. First, what if every community, including rural areas, had access to a well-stocked pharmacy? Second, what if these pharmacies were transformed into primary healthcare centres, not just places that dispense medicine, but centres that truly provide healthcare to patients? Third, what if patients could afford their medications and not have to pay fully out of pocket?
EF: What are the main business units for mPharma, and where do you see opportunities for growth?
KA: We are currently operating in 7 African countries. Across these countries, we run two models: a franchise model and an owned store model. With the franchise model, we partner with community pharmacies, mainly in middle to low-income areas.
We work with these partners by providing quality, affordable, and accessible inventory. We also renovate or refurbish the pharmacy and provide them with our Bloom software, which we developed in-house through our engineers and product team. Bloom is the backbone of everything we are doing at mPharma. It supports pharmacy operations as well as patient health management systems. This means our pharmacies are not just dispensing drugs but also providing aftercare to patients.
Over the last few years, we have also launched an initiative called Multidoctor. Patients can walk into selected pharmacies, speak to a nurse, and, if needed, consult a doctor through telemedicine. Once the assessment is complete, the prescription is issued, the patient collects the medication a few meters away in the same store, and then joins an aftercare program.
Bloom is the backbone of our operations because of the amount of patient data it captures. This data allows us to design structured disease management programs. Currently, we run diabetes test and treat programs and hypertension programs, as these are two of the major chronic diseases we have identified in Africa. These are the areas we consistently focus on for our patients.
EF: You are operating across seven countries. What is next for you as the organisation grows?
KA: For us, it is really about doubling down on what we have seen work, rather than constantly introducing new ideas. In terms of opportunity, Ghana stands out. The macroeconomic situation has improved significantly, and we believe Ghana is ripe for business, for investors, and for local participation. Our focus is on expanding our pharmacy footprint across Africa and continuing to convert these pharmacies into primary healthcare centres. It is basically about bringing primary healthcare closer to the community.
EF: When it comes to attracting investment, how do you position mPharma? What is the pitch you use to attract investors?
KA: Before we started mPharma, we ran a survey a couple of years back with feedback from more than 40,000 participants. The question we asked was, if you had a healthcare issue today, what would be your first point of call? About 85 percent of the participants said the pharmacy. The follow-up question was, “Do you have a pharmacy close to you?” And then, “when you go to the pharmacy, are you able to afford the medication you need?” An overwhelming majority said no. Either the medicines were too expensive, or the pharmacy did not have the medication they actually needed.
Based on this, the way we pitch mPharma is very simple. We know what is happening on the ground. We have pharmacies that are close to patients and close to communities. We understand exactly what they need, and we are able to tailor solutions that fit the needs of our patients.
We already have the local infrastructure that connects patients with medicines, and because it is not easy, especially in the countries where we operate, this is a huge advantage for organizations willing to invest or donate in Africa.
EF: How do you approach working locally in each of the seven markets where you operate, and how do you position yourself as the partner of choice?
KA: We have been around for 12 years, and we have seen the ups and downs in almost all the markets where we operate. For example, in Ghana, we have faced issues with forex, and in Nigeria, high inflation and high energy costs. Yet we are still standing because we have built a resilience model that can weather these storms. It has not been easy.
We diversified into new markets in Francophone Africa due to the need to hedge against currency devaluations in Ghana and Nigeria. In Francophone markets, the currency is pegged to the euro, so they do not experience the same fluctuations as Anglophone countries. That is why part of our expansion strategy includes going into Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal next year.
We have learned to deal with the local economic nuances. In Nigeria, for example, there is an energy crisis, so we look at solutions like solar power to reduce costs. Going into solar has a high capital cost, but it becomes cheaper as time goes on. These are some of the nuances you need to consider when thinking about the local context in each country.
EF: What are the expectations for the technology solutions you are introducing, and how do you think they can be used most effectively?
KA: For us, one of the advantages we have is our in-house engineering and product team. We have an amazing technical team that is always putting in all their effort. This commitment allows us to build systems in Bloom that are fully focused on the patient. Our goal is to enhance and improve the patient journey for everyone, not just the simple process of coming in, buying, and leaving.
For example, Bloom helps with forecasting and budgeting for stock, alerts you in case of a stockout, and notifies you when a patient is due for a refill so you can remind them to return. It can show your top-selling products over a period and highlight trends. On the business side, data and AI help us optimize operations, while on the patient side, it is essential for managing health and ensuring an efficient, seamless patient journey.
EF: As someone shaping the future of life sciences and healthcare in Africa, what resources and what kind of people do you need for the company of the future?
KA: We need innovators, people who are open-minded and take initiative. Healthcare, especially in this part of the world, is very challenging. We need people who are willing to go the extra mile, do the dirty groundwork, think of new ideas, and innovate. That mindset will be key and will shape the future of our company over the next decade or two. My goal is to have Africa in good health.
