The number of e-health start-ups operating in Africa has hit an all-time high at 180 active companies, while investment into the space continues to snowball, reaching record levels in the first half of 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is according to the High Tech Health: Exploring the African E-health Startup Ecosystem Report 2020, released by Disrupt Africa.

The report says the number of start-ups active in the health-tech space on the continent has grown by 56.5% over the last three years, with 180 ventures currently in operation.

This enthusiasm for e-health is echoed by investors. More than half of all funding to have gone into the space in the past five years was transacted in the first half of 2020. So far this year, e-health start-ups have raised over US$90 million.

“Interest in the e-health space in Africa has accelerated in the last 18 months, and with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a sudden spotlight on e-health start-ups. In many ways now is a great time for the continent’s health-tech sector - there’s huge opportunities to prove concepts, gain traction, and achieve lasting change in healthcare. We’re excited to present this timely research, highlighting the strengths of Africa’s e-health ecosystem,” said Gabriella Mulligan, co-founder of Disrupt Africa.

“Africa’s health-tech sector is suddenly emerging as one of real value from an economic perspective, while the potential impact on ventures in this space is undeniable. With start-ups across the continent innovating in various areas to solve very real challenges associated with the delivery of healthcare, this report shines a light on some of those most exciting innovations,” said Tom Jackson, co-founder of Disrupt Africa.

The report shines a light on regional e-health markets, and analyses eight sub-sectors of the health-tech ecosystem.

The impact of COVID-19 is looked at, as well as a separate section on funding of the space over the last five years.