TANZANIA — Dawa Mkononi, a Tanzania-based e-health and FinTech platform, has participated in HiPipo Foundation’s annual FinTech Innovation project, 40 Days 40 FinTechs.
This annual event was held to acknowledge and celebrate individuals and organizations making major contributions to financial inclusion through the use of technology.
Dawa Mkononi is a product of DMRX Inc., a firm based in the United States of America, with MRX Inc. acting as the holding company for DMRX Limited, a Tanzanian company.
The 40 Days 40 FinTechs event was first held in Uganda to help start-ups like Dawa Mkononi learn about and apply cutting-edge technology to their products and services, which is critical to advancing continuing inclusion efforts.
The initiative “40 Days 40 FinTechs” in Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s larger Include Everyone Program, which is funded by the Gates Foundation.
The initiative is being carried out in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, Crosslake Technologies, NG Films, Founders Academy, and Mojaloop Foundation.
Include EveryOne program acts as a beacon for promoting FinTech innovation, empowering women in FinTech, and acting as a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector.
Other activities under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa, and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit (minus 40 days and 40 FinTechs).
HiPipo is widely regarded as a leading proponent of digital innovation and financial inclusion, as well as a vocal supporter of the #LevelOneProject. It has also been at the forefront of digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS in Africa.
Its efforts have been revolutionary, with a track record of advising, mobilizing, and supporting the adoption of accessible financial services, and it has been effectively assisting the inclusive adoption of these important services for nearly two decades.
Speaking during the event, Christina Mark, Customer Service Head at Dawa Mkononi, this campaign is increasing the company’s visibility to the outside world and popularizing its solutions.
The company is a business-to-business (B2B) pharmaceutical company that focuses on pharmaceutical supply innovations that use technology to enhance universal health care.
It works by making drugs widely available to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and drug stores.
The company’s objective is to increase access to drug distribution and make medicines more available and affordable using a data-driven strategy.
Christina Mark stated that Dawa Mkononi gives an easy platform for medical businesses to conveniently purchase drugs and medical equipment, minimizing the time and resources spent physically hunting for these things.
She also mentioned that the company now has an app available for download on both IOS and Google Play that allows clients to access a selection of medicine and medical equipment offered on the site.
Customers are expected to pay directly after selecting the medicine and confirming their order, either through the inbuilt FinTech-driven payment option on the APP or by paying cash on delivery, she noted.
According to her, the number of clients using the APP has been growing since it first launched in Dar es Salaam, with over 1,000 active healthcare firms purchasing through it, but it has now expanded to Mwanza and plans to expand to more cities in the future.
Christina further highlighted that the primary issues that those in the medical supplies market encounter are delays in accessing stock, price volatility, and counterfeit goods, which Dawa Mkononi is addressing because it is speedier, more stable in price, and only trades in authentic products.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), universal health coverage can only be accomplished if safe, effective, and high-quality medications and health products are inexpensive.
Countries face a number of challenges in doing so, including rising drug prices, shortages and stockpiles of vital medications, particularly for noncommunicable diseases, and the growing problem of inferior and fraudulent medical items entering the global supply chain.
Dawa Mkononi hopes to foster innovation and collaboration among African FinTechs by commemorating 40 Days 40 FinTechs.
The project is critical for fintechs and entrepreneurs seeking mentorship, training, visibility, and networking opportunities to establish and scale their businesses.
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