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Tag: Gbenga Ajayi

  • Moniepoint is a true Nigerian success story, says Amb. Tuggar, Foreign Affairs Minister

    Moniepoint is a true Nigerian success story, says Amb. Tuggar, Foreign Affairs Minister

    In a move that bolsters investor confidence in Nigeria’s burgeoning fintech sector, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, visited the UK offices of Moniepoint Inc., a leading Nigerian financial institution, during his high-level working visit to the United Kingdom.

    The visit, aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and fostering strategic cooperation between Nigeria and the UK, underscored Nigeria’s commitment to driving economic growth and innovation. Ambassador Tuggar’s focus on Moniepoint highlighted the company’s remarkable journey and its pivotal role in Nigeria’s financial landscape.

    During his tour, Ambassador Tuggar lauded Moniepoint as a “true Nigerian success story,” emphasizing its status as a “fintech unicorn with a multibillion-dollar valuation.” He highlighted the company’s impressive growth, citing its 2000+ employees, thousands of sales personnel, and its empowerment of millions of businesses through enhanced financial inclusion.

    “Nigeria is at a vantage position in the fintech and financial services sector,” Ambassador Tuggar stated. “With banks and fintechs operating across Africa, we must continue to instill confidence in Nigerian businesses as they expand globally. Moniepoint is a testament to the strength of Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem.”

    The Minister acknowledged the significant backing Moniepoint has received from global investors, including Google’s Africa Investment Fund, Visa, and BII, further validating its position as a leader in the fintech space. He stressed that a thriving fintech sector directly translates to more jobs, increased financial inclusion, and a stronger economy for Nigeria.

    In his welcome remarks, CEO Moniepoint Inc. Tosin Eniolorunda reiterated Moniepoint’s commitment to powering the dreams of millions of business owners while engineering financial happiness for all Africans. He noted that the dynamic digital landscape in Nigeria presents unique opportunities to harness technology to drive real change, and Moniepoint is excited to be at the forefront of this transformation. 

    “By empowering individuals and businesses with financial tools that are innovative and efficient, we believe that technology can be a powerful catalyst for economic growth and social development. This visit by His Excellency Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar signposts the importance of cross-border collaboration and the strengthening of Nigeria’s global partnerships. We recognize the critical role that international cooperation plays in advancing innovation, especially within the fintech sector. As a country, Nigeria has immense potential, and through strategic alliances with global stakeholders, we can unlock new opportunities that benefit both local and international communities,” Eniolorunda stated.

    Continuing, he said, “At Moniepoint, we are deeply aligned with the Nigerian government’s vision to enhance strategic cooperation in areas like trade, investment, and technology. We are eager to continue contributing to the development of our country’s digital economy while fostering meaningful collaborations that will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

    Moniepoint’s market leadership has been acknowledged by several industry watchers and analysts.  As the country’s largest merchant acquirer, it powers the majority of Point of Sale (POS) transactions, processing over 1 billion transactions monthly with a total payments volume exceeding $22 billion. This enables countless small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those in the informal sector, to digitize their operations and participate in the evolving African economy.

    Moniepoint executives at the event include Felix Ike, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Moniepoint Inc; Didi Uwemakpan, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Moniepoint Inc; Ross Strike, Senior Vice President, M&A & Investor Relations; Ravi Jakhodia, CEO, Moniepoint UK; Bayo Olujobi, Chief Financial Officer, Moniepoint MFB.

    Important dignitaries who accompanied the Foreign Minister on his visit to Moniepoint’s UK office include Dotun Olowoporoku, Managing Partner, Starta; Gbenga Ajayi, Partner and Head of Africa, QED Investors and other senior officials from the Nigeria High Commission in London and Foreign Affairs Ministry.  It would be noted that this visit reinforces the message that Nigerian companies are not only capable of achieving significant domestic success but also of expanding their footprint internationally, contributing to the nation’s economic development and global reputation. 

    Formerly known as TeamApt Inc., Moniepoint, founded in Lagos in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, has rapidly grown into a comprehensive digital financial services provider. Offering payments, banking, credit, business management tools, and cross-border payment solutions, Moniepoint serves over 10 million businesses and individuals across Nigeria and Africa.

    Moniepoint Inc has been recognized as Africa’s fastest-growing fintech in 2023 and 2024 by the Financial Times of London. It has also won the National Inclusive Payment Initiative Award and Financially Inclusive Fintech of the Year from the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as SME Microfinance Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay Banks & Other Financial Institutions BAFI Awards to mention a few. 

  • Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health, a healthtech startup that develops solutions to make Africa’s pharmaceutical value chain more efficient, has secured $12 million in an equity and debt funding round to deepen the penetration of its services in Nigeria and support the delivery of targeted financial services to drive business growth across the country’s pharmaceutical sector.

    The $8 million Series A equity funding round was led by US-based venture capital firm, QED Investors and co-led by Ventures Platform, who have now invested in Remedial Health at every funding round since the pre-seed stage. This investment also represents Ventures Platform’s first Series A investment. Ycombinator, Tencent and Gaingels also invested after participating in previous rounds. The $4 million debt funding was led by a consortium of local and international financial institutions.

    Across Africa, 85 percent of retail medicine purchases happen at micro-enterprises, typically neighbourhood pharmacies) and Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors (PPMVs). For store owners, 90 percent of their wholesale purchases happen in open markets that are largely unfit for consumables and medicines. Store owners also have to endure expensive and time-consuming weekly order cycles that typically amount to two working days to access the inventory they need to stock their shelves. These realities, combined with a predominantly paper-based approach to managing operations, present various challenges that make it difficult to maximise profitability.

    Remedial Health operates at the intersection of healthcare, supply chain management, technology and financial services, delivering the digital procurement infrastructure to power effective healthcare distribution for Africa’s 1.2 million pharmacies. Starting in Nigeria, Remedial Health has built an effective operating system for pharmaceutical buyers and suppliers, working with more than 300 manufacturers and serving more than 5,000 hospitals, pharmacies and PPMVs across 34 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with regional hubs to enable a seamless experience across the country. 

    Store owners can access more than 8,000 vetted products via the mobile app, with same-day delivery and inventory financing to minimise cash-flow friction for routine orders and maximise sales opportunities. The startup also provides facility financing, payment solutions and inventory management solutions that makes it easier for store owners to run their business more efficiently and profitably. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, Remedial Health provides an effective route-to-market for their products, as well as data-driven insights into local markets that can be leveraged for more effective planning and decision making.

    This new funding will enable Remedial Health to deepen the reach of these services across Nigeria and deliver more game changing solutions to drive greater efficiency across the pharmaceutical value chain. 

    According to Samuel Okwuada, CEO and co-founder of Remedial Health, “We are delighted to have raised these funds, particularly with the wider context of the global funding downturn and the wide range of economic headwinds in Nigeria. Our continued growth has put us in a strong position to deliver our mission of creating a tech-enabled, pharmacy-centred healthcare network and we are looking forward to leveraging these funds to achieve more success.”

    Gbenga Ajayi, Partner, Head of Africa, QED Investors, said “The success that Remedial Health has enjoyed to date is an indication of the market gap that exists, and the value they provide in providing effective holistic services to thousands of pharmacies across Nigeria. QED is particularly excited about the embedded financial services opportunities within the vertical — the ability to provide payments, embedded lending and other fintech solutions to this underserved but very crucial sector. The Remedial Health team is perfectly positioned to solve this problem because of its unique positioning as a partner across the entire pharmaceutical value chain and the unique backgrounds of the founders as both seasoned phama operators and technology professionals. We are very excited to be on this journey and to support this next phase of the company and to bring our fintech DNA to bear in what is an already positive growth journey.”

    Kola Aina, Founding Partner of Ventures Platform, said “We are incredibly proud to have been part of Remedial Health’s journey since the earliest phase of the company’s development. This partnership exemplifies our mission to support  category leaders before they become obvious. Remedial Health’s dedication to improving Nigeria’s pharmaceutical value chain is critical  and their success in securing this $12 million funding demonstrates their remarkable growth and the management’s tenacity over the years. Our investment in this round represents our continued belief in their mission to deliver financial services to neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in the pharmaceutical sector.”