Orange Middle East and Africa and AXA CIMA entities led by AXA Assurance Maroc have signed an agreement to jointly acquire a majority stake in DabaDoc, alongside the company’s founders.

DabaDoc, founded by Zineb Drissi-Kaitouni and Driss Drissi-Kaitouni in 2014, is a platform that digitalises access to healthcare in Africa. DabaDoc has developed solutions that are used by healthcare professionals in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

According to a statement released to the media, Orange and AXA’s investment and network will accelerate DabaDoc’s growth and extend DabaDoc’s services to other regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.

Through its partnership with DabaDoc and relying on AXA’s globally recognised expertise in healthcare, Orange is positioned as a key player in e-health.

Following its first investment in DabaDoc in 2018, AXA Assurance Maroc is once again consolidating its partnership with the company to accelerate the digitalisation and integration of its customers' healthcare journey, facilitating its policyholders’ interactions with healthcare professionals, notably via DabaDoc’s appointment booking and remote consultation infrastructure and network.

According to the stakeholders in cementing this tri-party partnership, DabaDoc will benefit from the broad experience of AXA, one of the global leaders in health insurance, and Orange’s technological expertise and payment solutions to enable digital solutions to be developed that rapidly scale and benefit patients and the entire African healthcare ecosystem.

Zineb Drissi-Kaitouni, co-founder and CEO of DabaDoc, said: “DabaDoc, a leading health-tech platform in Africa, is supporting the digital transformation of healthcare professions. Orange’s investment in DabaDoc and AXA’s renewed investment will strengthen DabaDoc’s growth ambitions through Orange and AXA’s presence in Africa and the Middle East. The pandemic has strengthened our belief that the digitalisation of healthcare services is essential and inevitable.”

Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, said: “We are delighted to commit to this ambitious partnership with AXA and DabaDoc to serve the healthcare needs of everyone in Africa and the Middle East through digital technology. At Orange, we are convinced that the digital transformation is a source of progress and that e-health has huge potential. As a responsible operator on the continent, we want to contribute to this major social challenge, especially during a pandemic. The deployment of this type of solution in the countries where we are present will greatly facilitate populations’ access to healthcare services, which is essential to the continent’s development.”

Meryem Chami, CEO of AXA Assurance Maroc and AXA CIMA, said: “AXA is a global leader in health insurance and related services. This is one of the Group’s strategic priorities as part of the Driving Progress 2023 plan. This ambition is even stronger as we are facing an unprecedented health crisis. Through this partnership, we therefore aim to enable patients to access a better healthcare journey in Morocco and to support DabaDoc through its development in the CIMA countries as well.”