Papy Biganza is a Rwandan entrepreneur, who is striving to revolutionize the traditional pharmaceutical industry in Africa. He has been working in the e-commerce sector since 2014 and is currently the CEO of Afia Pharma which operates in the E-health sector.
What is the story behind your startup?
I had a grandfather, who lived in a rural place alone , in 2019,died of asthma. One of the main reasons was because the medicine was so expensive and he couldn’t get easily to the city to purchase medications.
Who are your target customers, and what problem are you solving?
Our target market is patient because we are dealing with challenges such as High Cost: Prices in private pharmacies were twice as high as they were in public pharmacies (median price ratios = 1.99). in addition to inaccessibility, there’s also: 25 percent of Rwanda’s 417 pharmacies serve a rural population of 10 million people.
犀利士What are your challenges?
The startup does not own a proprietary stock. It obtains supplies on order from a pharmaceutical depot for any order greater than $10 (minimum purchase amount authorized at the level of this depot), and from local pharmacies for orders of an amount less than $10. In the latter case, the margin made on the sale is zero. The drug is then resold at the purchase price
What is your vision for your startup? What does success look like?
The African pharmaceutical market is worth approximately $40 billion dollars, and Afia pharma’s ambition is to acquire 5% of that in the next five years.
Why did you apply for NHA? Why NHA and not another accelerator?
We anticipated that with the mentoring and professional connections provided by Next Health Accelerator, as well as initial capital, Afia pharma would be able to increase in size and value while scaling up more quickly.
What were your expectations, and how was your experience with the program so far?
We were able to find the strategic difficulties we’ve been dealing with so far and precisely outline our customer journey thanks to the Office Hours session.
Have you met someone who inspires you since participating in NHA?
Senam Beheton’s personality and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship have truly inspired me.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I’d make medicine more affordable, accessible, and available to Africa’s billions of people.
Do you have any last comment or advice you would like to share with your fellow entrepreneurs?
Start small and think big
