Women's health innovation, Senegal

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Senegal

Senegal's women's health innovation ecosystem is anchored in maternal, reproductive and cervical-cancer care, supported by a fast-maturing digital-health push led by the government. Homegrown startups such as Njureel (teleconsultation and reproductive-health education) and Askcare (low-cost cervical-cancer screening) operate alongside a national e-health strategy validated in 2025 and a sovereign-backed fund, Oyass Capital, financing healthtech infrastructure. Gender-lens capital is unusually visible for the region, led by Dakar-based WIC Capital and Janngo Capital. The state has cut maternal mortality sharply since 2017 while pushing a Shared Single Patient Record and pending e-health legislation.

Maternal & reproductive healthCervical cancer screeningDigital health recordsTelemedicineFamily planning

153 / 100,000

Maternal mortality ratio (2023), down from 236 in 2017 thelancet.com

USD 43.8M

World Bank grant backing Senegal's health-system digitalisation programme (PDSS) ecofinagency.com

80+ centres

Health centres and labs in Askcare's cervical-cancer screening network in Senegal taraforwomen.org

USD 20M

WIC Capital fund for women-led businesses in Senegal & Cote d'Ivoire fsdafrica.org

01 of 07

Latest major news

Recent activity clusters around digital-health funding and cervical-cancer innovation.

02 of 07

Policy & strategy

A national digital-health framework and reproductive-health strategy set the direction.

03 of 07

Latest ecosystem moves

Startups and hubs are building reproductive-health and digital-care services.

04 of 07

Notable funding rounds

Government-backed and gender-lens capital dominate recent deals.

05 of 07

Key players & hubs

A mix of women's-health startups, digital-health firms, incubators and government bodies.

06 of 07

Active investors

Senegal has notable sovereign-backed and gender-lens capital for health and women-led ventures.

07 of 07

White papers & reports

Evidence base on Senegal's maternal-health and family-planning progress.

Latest major news

2025-07

Eyone Medical raises USD 3M from FONSIS-backed Oyass Capital to digitise health records across Francophone West Africa.

launchbaseafrica.com

2026-03

Eyone Medical secures a further CFA 1bn (USD 1.7M) from Oyass Capital to roll out Senegal's Shared Single Patient Record (DPUP).

disruptafrica.com

2025-01

Ministry of Health's Digital Health Unit announces a bill to regulate e-health services in Senegal.

ecofinagency.com

2025-08

Senegal launches the CAAP initiative to advance women's, children's and adolescents' health.

pmnch.who.int

Policy & strategy

2025-04

Senegal validates its National Digital Health Strategy (Strategie Nationale de Sante Numerique) with roughly USD 50M in World Bank support.

ecofinagency.com

2024-01

SRMNIA-N Strategic Plan 2024-2028 commits to accelerating reductions in maternal, neonatal and adolescent mortality, with action plans for family planning and adolescent reproductive health.

pmnch.who.int

2012-01

National Family Planning Action Plan launched, built on the '3 Ds' (democratise, demedicalise, decentralise) in response to the Ouagadougou Call to Action.

exemplars.health

Latest ecosystem moves

▸Njureel scales its Sama Bajene reproductive-health programme, reporting 60+ trained community health workers, 500+ consultations and 800+ women reached. wearetech.africa

▸Askcare expands its '3T' cervical-cancer model (HPV test, AI colposcope, thermo-ablation) across a network of 80+ centres in Senegal, plus Rwanda and Nigeria. taraforwomen.org

▸Eyone Medical's Shared Patient Record platform now runs in 60+ healthcare institutions across Senegal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon and France. nextbillion.net

▸Lafiya Innovators runs a health-tech incubation Starter Track in Dakar for early-stage health startups. dakar.impacthub.net

Notable funding rounds

Disclosed round size (USD)

Eyone Medical USD 3M

Growth equity · 2025-07 · Oyass Capital (FONSIS) launchbaseafrica.com

Eyone Medical USD 1.7M

Follow-on equity · 2026-03 · Oyass Capital (FONSIS) disruptafrica.com

Rounds by type

Growth equity1

Follow-on equity1

Key players & hubs

Ecosystem by organisation type

Startup4

Hub2

Govt1

NGO1

Askcare Femtech

Startup

Low-cost, AI-assisted cervical-cancer screening & treatment; founded by Aissatou Diallo. taraforwomen.org

Njureel

Startup

Teleconsultation & reproductive-health platform; runs the Sama Bajene women's-health education programme. wearetech.africa

Sama Bajene

Startup

Helps health facilities manage services/appointments to reduce maternal mortality; supports women victims of violence. aps.sn

Eyone Medical

Startup

Interoperable digital-health records; powers Senegal's Shared Single Patient Record. Founded 2015. nextbillion.net

CTIC Dakar

Hub

First ICT startup incubator/accelerator in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa (est. 2011). wearetech.africa

Lafiya Innovators (Impact Hub Dakar)

Hub

Health-tech incubation programme with a Dakar-based Starter Track. dakar.impacthub.net

Ministry of Health & Social Action, Digital Health Unit

Govt

Drives the National Digital Health Strategy and pending e-health regulation. ecofinagency.com

Association Sante Mobile (Dakar)

NGO

Addresses menstrual hygiene and reproductive health for girls and women. aps.sn

Active investors

Active investors by headquarters

Senegal 3

Cote d'Ivoire 1

Global 1

Oyass Capital

FONSIS-backed fund; USD 3M+ into healthtech Eyone Medical for digital health infrastructure. launchbaseafrica.com

Senegal

WIC Capital

First Francophone West Africa fund dedicated to women-led businesses; USD 20M, equity & quasi-equity. fsdafrica.org

Senegal

Janngo Capital

Pan-African, gender-balanced VC led by Fatoumata Ba; healthcare among target sectors; EUR 73M fund II. launchbaseafrica.com

Cote d'Ivoire

FONSIS (Senegal sovereign wealth fund)

Parent of Oyass Capital, financing high-impact SMEs including health. disruptafrica.com

Senegal

UNICEF Femtech Ventures

Five-year (2025-2030) platform giving equity-free capital up to USD 100k to women's-health startups; over half of 1,100+ applicants from Africa. unicef.org

Global

White papers & reports

▸Strengthening health systems and accountability: Senegal's path to success in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (The Lancet, 2025). thelancet.com

▸Neonatal and Maternal Mortality: Senegal (Exemplars in Global Health). exemplars.health

▸Menstrual Hygiene Management: behaviour and practices in the Louga region, Senegal (UN Women / WSSCC). africa.unwomen.org

Sources and references

Every figure and claim above links back to a public source. 15 references, updated 2026-08.

Tara for Women, Askcare Femtechtaraforwomen.org We are Tech, Njureelwearetech.africa APS, Senegalese health startupsaps.sn Disrupt Africa, Eyone USD 1.7Mdisruptafrica.com LaunchBase Africa, Eyone USD 3Mlaunchbaseafrica.com NextBillion, Eyone Medicalnextbillion.net Ecofin, Senegal e-health regulationecofinagency.com The Lancet, Senegal RMNCHthelancet.com PMNCH/WHO, Senegal CAAPpmnch.who.int Exemplars, Senegal maternal mortalityexemplars.health FSD Africa, WIC Capitalfsdafrica.org LaunchBase Africa, female fund managerslaunchbaseafrica.com CTIC Dakar, We are Techwearetech.africa Lafiya Innovators, Impact Hub Dakardakar.impacthub.net UNICEF Femtech Venturesunicef.org

Latest major news

Policy & strategy

Latest ecosystem moves

Notable funding rounds

Key players & hubs

Active investors

White papers & reports

Sources and references

Related country reports