This inspired her to return to the land of her ancestors to make
her contribution. She tried several things upon arriving in Nigeria, but it
completely changed her trajectory when a friend died after taking a fake
malaria pill. Sharing the traumatic experience with those around her made her
realise that this was a common issue in Nigeria.
Nwakah believes that quality medication is a fundamental human
right, which led her to start Medsaf. The organisation – a contraction of “Meds
for Africa” – has taken aim at eradicating the circulation of fake,
sub-standard medication as well as improving the general accessibility of
medication for people, particularly in rural areas.
The Benefits of Technology
It manifests as a technological platform for healthcare
stakeholders to purchase, manage, track and finance their medication. Medsaf is
effectively an intermediary between hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and
patients, making it easier to get the required medication from point A to point
B.
It increases the quality, accessibility and availability of
medication while improving transparency in the Nigerian pharmaceutical
industry. Saying “healthcare is adequate, healthcare is for the wealthy” is the
old story, and “we can use technology to change that,” asserts
Nwakah.
Medsaf has over 700 sign-ups of people who have used the platform
within the past few years, and it is currently accessible in 17 Nigerian
states, intending to expand. It currently employs 47 people who collaborate
from Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal and the United States.
She believes if you focus on creating value for people, they will
use your services. Delivering a good service and prioritising people’s
interests has allowed Medsaf to create a product that people could trust and
support. This has infused Medsaf with communal responsibility, she says.
Nwakah on her journey
“If you’re resilient and mentally strong, you can achieve many
things that you might have thought were impossible to achieve. Everybody
thought that everything I was doing was impossible, especially as a female
founder in a largely misogynistic system,” says Nwakah.
As Inc.Africa has reported previously, she has a
point because female-led African
startups get very little funding – particularly in Africa. Only
one percent of founders are female that are VC-backed. “But I just had to be
extremely innovative to find the funding that I needed for the business,” she
opines.
In building her company, Nwakah discovered that breaking down
massive problems into small steps makes it easier to find solutions. She also
realised that while Medsaf couldn’t solve everybody’s problem, a clear focus to
create real value for customers would ensure that it could make a significant
difference.
And for her, the best and most rewarding parts of running Medsaf
are the customer stories; hearing how Medsaf has been available to help medical
practitioners during surgeries when other people have let them down, for
instance.
There were also times when cancer patients couldn’t find their
medications, but Medsaf could help. It’s stories like these that have kept
Nwakah going.
The pandemic effect
Although most Medsaf customers shut down during Covid, the
pandemic was, generally speaking, good for healthcare. Because many hospitals
had to close due to capacity limitations of infection outbreaks among staff,
many patients turned to Medsaf to procure their medication.
This revenue kept the company afloat and fuelled the 200% growth
experienced since the pandemic began. And ultimately, it may also provide the
impetus for further growth.
Nwakah has worked in Nigeria for eight years, but as Medsaf expands,
she aims to move into other countries. However, she is always determined to
ensure that the organisation always represents the local culture and needs as
accurately as possible.
Friendly advice
A curious nature about her environment and its people inspired her
to do her very best to solve problems. But the important thing is to really
know and fully understand the problems you are trying to solve.
She also cautions that being an entrepreneur isn’t glamorous, and it certainly isn’t always fun. But if you have the passion and the conviction in what you’re trying to do, that will keep you motivated in the face of incredible odds, adds Nwakah.
Source:Inc.com