In a major vote of confidence for Africa’s growing healthtech sector, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a proposed equity investment of up to $10 million in KERA Health Platforms, a Senegal-based startup that is leveraging artificial intelligence to reshape healthcare access and delivery across West Africa.
Founded in 2023 by AI scientist Moustapha Cissé, former MTN executive Papa Sow, and healthcare expert Hosam Mattar, KERA Health Platforms develops digital infrastructure that connects fragmented elements of the healthcare system — from electronic health records to insurance services — into a single AI-powered platform. The company is headquartered in Dakar and currently operates in Senegal, with plans to expand across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) region.
KERA’s model focuses on bridging persistent gaps in healthcare access, particularly for underserved populations including informal workers and women. By aggregating and analyzing distributed health data, KERA aims to reduce out-of-pocket costs, improve service quality, and support faster claims processing and payments through its integrated platform.
The IFC investment is expected to help finance KERA’s seed round, following an earlier pre-seed raise supported by technology-focused angel investors and select venture capital firms. According to the IFC, its contribution will be both financial — catalyzing funding in an underdeveloped venture capital landscape — and non-financial, by supporting the startup in adopting international corporate governance standards.
KERA’s technology stack connects hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and insurers, transforming data silos into actionable intelligence for healthcare professionals and patients alike. The platform’s core promise lies in improving clinical care by streamlining medical workflows and enabling timely interventions.
In Senegal, where the average number of physicians is less than one per 10,000 people, the need for such technology is especially acute. KERA’s AI-driven systems offer an alternative path to progress, helping alleviate pressure on the country’s limited healthcare workforce.
The investment in KERA aligns with IFC’s broader digital health strategy, including its DigiHealth and DigiPharma programs, which seek to expand access to digital medical solutions in emerging markets. The initiative also falls under IFC’s efforts to stimulate local innovation ecosystems in Francophone Africa — a region often overlooked by global investors despite its rising entrepreneurial activity.
KERA is led by a founding team with deep expertise across healthcare, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence. Cissé, who also established the African Masters of Machine Intelligence (AMMI), has been instrumental in training the next generation of AI talent across the continent. Sow, KERA’s COO, previously served as CEO of MTN Guinea, while Mattar, the company’s CMO, was formerly Chief Medical Officer for AXA in Africa.
With IFC’s support, KERA is now positioning itself as a central player in the emerging digital health infrastructure of West Africa. The startup plans to use the new capital to expand its footprint, deepen its AI capabilities, and launch additional health insurance products tailored to informal workers and underserved populations.
For the IFC, the partnership represents another step in its mission to bolster the private sector’s role in addressing pressing development challenges. In FY2023 alone, the institution committed over $43 billion to companies in emerging markets — an effort to create jobs, foster innovation, and build resilient economies.
As West Africa grapples with rising healthcare demands and a shortage of trained professionals, the success of startups like KERA may offer a blueprint for how AI-driven innovation can close long-standing gaps in health access and quality.