When we talk about HealthTech, the conversation in Africa tends to focus heavily on digital solutions. However, HealthTech is a much broader ecosystem that spans Digital Health, MedTech, and BioTech. Understanding this full spectrum is key to building a sustainable and transformative healthcare innovation strategy on the continent. 📱🧬🔧

Why Digital Health Alone Isn’t Enough 🤔📉📱

When I first entered the field of health innovation, what struck me was the diversity of technologies used to solve healthcare problems. From advanced software platforms to high-precision devices and biological therapies, innovation in health has always been cross-disciplinary. In fact, Digital Health is the newest of the three categories, emerging only in the 1990s with the advent of internet-enabled services and mobile devices【1】.

Yet in Africa, we’re seeing a disproportionate emphasis on digital tools as the main avenue for healthcare innovation. According to a 2024 internal study, 87% of all HealthTech innovations on the continent were digital-only, and only 2 MedTech projects were identified among the startups evaluated【2】.

This narrow focus limits the continent’s ability to leverage the full value of technology, particularly when you consider that many digital solutions rely on hardware, biological data, or both to function effectively. For example, telemedicine without diagnostic tools is incomplete; health apps without integration into patient records or biology miss half the story.

The Three Pillars of HealthTech 🏥🧪📱

To build a clear foundation, let’s define each core component:

• Digital Health: Software solutions that support remote consultation, patient management, and data analytics. Examples include telemedicine platforms, electronic health records, and AI-powered health chatbots.

• MedTech: Medical devices and diagnostic tools that can be digital or analog. Examples include portable ultrasound machines, ECG monitors, and surgical robotics.

• BioTech: Biological-based innovations such as gene therapy, vaccine development, and biomanufacturing. Examples include mRNA vaccines, stem cell treatments, and CRISPR diagnostics.

Each of these pillars is essential, and the most impactful innovations arise when they are combined across disciplines.

The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Innovation ⚙️🤖🧬

To take the most advantage of digital technologies they must be combined with other tools and devices. Over the past decades, the most advanced medical and health technologies were about BioTech and MedTech. Even if digital technologies increase their power and capabilities, the fact remains that a health industry cannot emerge in Africa without a real mastery of the 3 disciplines. Some of the most promising innovations today blend multiple HealthTech domains:

. AI + Radiology — Digital Health, MedTech

Artificial intelligence applied to interpret X-rays or CT scans

Example : Lunit Insight (South Korea), Zebra Medical Vision (Israel)

. Bioinformatics + Genomics — Digital Health, BioTech

Analyzing genetic data to predict disease risk or treatment response

Example : 54gene (Nigeria), Helix (USA)

. IoT + Cardiovascular Monitoring — Digital Health, MedTech

Wearable ECG sensors that track heart activity in real time

Example : Withings, AliveCor

. mHealth + Diagnostics — Digital Health, MedTech, BioTech

Mobile apps that sync with point-of-care diagnostics

Example : Ilara Health (Kenya), Qantiq (France)

. Robotics + Surgery — Digital Health, MedTech, BioTech

Minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgeries

Example : CMR Surgical, Da Vinci Systems

These combinations are more than trends — they are the future of HealthTech globally and must be scaled in Africa too.

Africa’s HealthTech Maturity: Where We Stand 🌱📉📊

Digital Health & Telemedicine

The African digital health market was valued at US$3.8 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 23.4%, reaching US$16.6 billion by 2030【3】. Despite funding slowdowns, digital solutions continue to receive most of the attention from both donors and startups.

MedTech & Diagnostics

The MedTech sector is lagging due to high infrastructure costs, limited local manufacturing, and weak insurance systems. While solutions like portable imaging and point-of-care diagnostics exist, only a handful of startups like Ilara Health and mDaaS are currently gaining traction【4】.

BioTech & Pharmaceuticals

Africa’s biotech industry is the least developed, largely because of high R&D costs and a lack of advanced laboratory infrastructure. Still, biotech partnerships are emerging, especially in Nigeria and South Africa, often tied to international pharmaceutical collaborations【5】.

This gap in MedTech and BioTech capacities explains why Francophone Africa, which lacks strong R&D hubs, attracts significantly less investment than Anglophone Africa — a trend explored in our previous articles.

Strategic Recommendations: Building a Balanced HealthTech Ecosystem 🧭🏗️🌐

To achieve scalable, sustainable innovation, African governments and their partners must address the imbalance. Here’s how:

✅ Reinforce R&D Capabilities: Build and fund MedTech and BioTech research labs in universities and hospitals.

✅ Support Cross-Tech Startups: Incubators should prioritize ventures that blend digital health with biotech or device-based solutions.

✅ Policy and Procurement Alignment: National health strategies must integrate innovation targets, and procurement systems should favor local solutions.

✅ Fund All Three Pillars: Investors must diversify their portfolios beyond mobile apps to include diagnostic tools and bio-based innovations.

✅ Tap Climate-Tech Synergies: Solar-powered labs, off-grid cold chains, and water-efficient manufacturing could link HealthTech with Africa’s climate goals.

Conclusion 📌🌍🔭

The future of healthcare innovation in Africa lies in embracing the full spectrum of HealthTech, not just digital solutions. By expanding focus to include MedTech and BioTech, Africa can not only close existing health gaps but also build a globally relevant innovation model that addresses affordability, accessibility, and adaptability.

Let’s move from an app-centric approach to a cross-technology movement that puts Africa on the map — not just as a recipient of innovation, but as its engine. 🚀

Sources 📚🔍📝

1. WHO Digital Health Overview (2023)

2. PhiHub HealthTech Mapping Study (2024)

3. Grand View Research – Africa Digital Health Market Report (2024)

4. Ilara Health Case Study – Salient Advisory (2023)

5. BioAfrica – African Biotech Landscape Report (2023)

Missing Data ❓🔬📉

• Number of active MedTech and BioTech startups by country

• Breakdown of public vs. private R&D spending in HealthTech

• Data on venture capital flows by HealthTech category

• Case studies of successful cross-disciplinary African HealthTech products

• Regulatory benchmarks for MedTech and BioTech approvals in Africa