Nigeria Launches 65 Health Startups After COVID-19
Nigeria's digital health sector exploded during the pandemic, adding 65 new startups in just five years. That's more than half of all the health tech companies launched in the previous 15 years combined.
When COVID-19 forced Nigeria into lockdown, something unexpected happened alongside the crisis. Digital healthcare suddenly became not just useful, but essential.
Between 2020 and 2025, Nigeria launched 65 new health tech startups, representing 65% growth in just five years. Before the pandemic, founders faced an uphill battle convincing people that healthcare could even happen digitally.
"When we started in 2017, telemedicine was still poorly understood," says Funmi Adewara, founder of Mobihealth. "We had to educate patients, regulators, partners, and even healthcare professionals."
Poor internet access, low digital literacy, and simple skepticism kept most Nigerians from downloading health apps. Then lockdown made hospital visits difficult and fear of physical contact grew.
Remote consultations, digital prescriptions, and medication delivery suddenly made perfect sense. Rest Essence, who co-founded MedWaka in 2021, watched the transformation happen. "Before COVID, healthtech was a nice to have. But post-COVID, it became a must-have. The ecosystem completely changed."
The surge was immediate and dramatic. Nigeria recorded 17 new health tech startups in 2020 alone, the highest number in a single year. Today, 128 active startups operate across telemedicine, pharmacy delivery, healthcare analytics, and digital supply chains.
Funding followed the momentum, climbing from $5.5 million in 2019 to $55 million by 2023. But the sector now faces its next test: proving these solutions can survive beyond pandemic urgency.
The Bright Side
While funding dropped to $18 million in 2024 as the crisis urgency faded, Nigeria has permanently changed how millions access healthcare. Services that seemed futuristic in 2019 now feel normal to users who order prescriptions from their phones or consult doctors remotely.
The infrastructure challenges that held back digital health before the pandemic haven't disappeared. But the 128 active startups now have something their predecessors never had: a population that knows digital healthcare works because they've already used it.
What began as crisis adaptation has become lasting transformation in how Nigeria delivers health services to its citizens.
Based on reporting by TechCabal
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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