African focused provider of integrated market access and logistics solutions Imperial has announced that Vitalliance, its joint venture with technology provider One Network Enterprises, has been selected to steward the OpenLMIS platform serving nine countries in Africa, beginning in March 2021.

OpenLMIS is an electronic logistics management information system (LMIS) purpose-built to manage public health supply chains in low- and middle-income countries, including Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.

According to a statement released to the media, the partnership will also augment OpenLMIS through new service tiers “that offer rich capabilities and services, which will further its ability to reduce stockout rates and enable health workers to provide better patient care.”

One of these service tiers includes the integration of One Network’s control tower with OpenLMIS, in order to bring end-to-end supply chain visibility and coordinated planning from the point of care to global distributors and manufacturers.

The companies explain that a healthcare control tower provides multiparty visibility, planning, decision-making and execution based on real-time analytics. It also assists clients in tracking orders and third-party partners involved in the healthcare supply chain at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems.

The integration of this control tower with OpenLMIS has the potential for creating the largest connected healthcare network in Africa, they add.

This partnership is the culmination of a process by the OpenLMIS community to create an innovative public-private partnership that supports the growth and sustainability of global public goods.

"OpenLMIS is excited to begin this next phase of supply chain evolution with Vitalliance and the management expertise they bring from Imperial and One Network,” said OpenLMIS Director Brian Taliesin. “Their alignment with our community values and vision promise a strong and sustainable future."

Imperial said growth and expansion of its digital offering is a strategic imperative.

Cobus Rossouw, Executive Vice President: Digital and IT at Imperial, added: "Not only is this partnership supportive of the important work being done by OpenLMIS in healthcare, but it is aligned with Imperial’s purpose, which is connecting Africa and the world and improving people’s lives with access to quality products and services.”