Microsoft has announced its partnership with Zendawa, a Kenyan startup, to set up a marketplace where online users can order pharmaceutical products. By leveraging Microsoft’s AI, Zendawa can match online orders to the nearest pharmacy, while providing physical delivery thereafter.
To help streamline forecasting within pharmacies and improve access to funding, Zendawa uses optimized software tools and improved supply chain management. The platform currently serves 520 pharmacies in the region, aiming to reach 10,000 by the end of the year. Through its expansion, the startup hopes to transform the outlook for local pharmacies, not only enabling them to contribute positively to the availability of essential medicines across East Africa, but at the same time having a positive impact on small business development and job creation.
According to Microsoft, AI can boost SMEs in the pharmaceutical space by giving them better access to financial services, optimizing their processes, and improving their service delivery. This, in turn, could have a powerful effect on national healthcare provision, including medicine availability. Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to drastically transform the operations and prospects of small pharmacies across the country.
Commenting on the new partnership with Zendawa, Microsoft Africa Transformation Office General Manager, Gerald Maithya, underscored the benefits of AI is for small businesses. “Zendawa is a great example of what small businesses in Africa can accomplish with AI. That’s why Microsoft’s ambition is to democratise our breakthroughs in AI to help local businesses be more productive and go on to solve the most pressing problems of the continent. We’re excited to support Zendawa as they look to transform access to quality healthcare in Africa,” said Maithya.
On his part, Wilfred Chege, Founder and CEO of Zendawa said, “Understanding that operational expenses account for around 70 percent of pharmacies’ annual budget allocation, Zendawa provides these businesses with a digital suite to track their online and offline sales. It then uses AI to analyse data from the digital suite of tools used by its pharmacy partners and develops credit scores. These scores help unlock access to capital, which pharmacies can use to restock or pay for utilities.”