The initiative aims to unlock up to $10 million in MNCH procurements across selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Axmed Secures $5M Gates Foundation Grant to Expand Access to Life-Saving Medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa
Geneva, Switzerland – In a significant boost to global health equity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to Axmed, a healthcare technology company revolutionizing how essential medicines are procured across emerging markets.
The grant, announced at a high-level roundtable during the 78th World Health Assembly, will serve as a 1:1 matching fund to support government procurement of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) commodities via the Axmed Medicines Platform.
The initiative aims to unlock up to $10 million in MNCH procurements across selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, enhancing national procurement capabilities while ensuring timely access to quality-assured, cost-effective medicines.
Ministries of Health will benefit from short-term liquidity support, pooled procurement, and aggregated demand—yielding better prices, stronger supply security, and more efficient health systems.
“Reducing the number of preventable deaths of mothers and babies is key to our work in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Cynthia Mwase, Director of Health, Africa, at the Gates Foundation. “This partnership with Axmed and local health leaders ensures that life-saving innovations reach the communities where they can have the greatest impact.”
Tackling Persistent Barriers to MNCH Access
Despite the availability of proven interventions, 287,000 women still die annually from pregnancy-related complications, and 2.3 million newborns die within their first month of life. These preventable tragedies are often rooted in weak procurement systems, limited budgets, and fragmented supply chains—challenges that have been further exacerbated by a global liquidity crunch and declining donor funding.
This new matching fund directly addresses these issues by providing immediate financing while supporting long-term reforms to procurement infrastructure in low-resource settings.
“Through our partnership with Axmed, the Government of Rwanda has demonstrated that efficient, sustainable delivery of high-quality medicines across multiple therapeutic areas is achievable,” said Dr. Loko Abraham, CEO of Rwanda Medical Supply. “This matching fund expands that impact, enabling us to reach the most vulnerable with urgency and precision.”
Digital Innovation Driving Scale and Savings
The Axmed Medicines Platform operates as a digital marketplace, connecting institutional buyers directly with vetted suppliers and leveraging collective purchasing power across borders. In 2024 alone, users of the platform—primarily Ministries of Health and government procurers—achieved average savings of 20–30%, with some MNCH products seeing cost reductions of up to 80%.
Axmed also collaborates with global logistics partners to ensure full-spectrum supply chain support, from manufacturers to last-mile distribution, with real-time tracking and traceability.
“This fund is a clear example of how catalytic financing and technology can work together to deliver immediate and lasting impact,” said Emmanuel Akpakwu, Founder & CEO of Axmed. “Our mission is not just to deliver medicines faster and more affordably—but to help countries build resilient, future-ready procurement systems.”
The grant signals growing momentum in efforts to modernize healthcare procurement and expand equitable access to life-saving medicines—marking an important step toward healthier futures for mothers, newborns, and children across Africa. Read More
