AfricInvest, via its blended-finance impact initiative, the Transform Health Fund, has announced a strategic investment of $10.5 million in HewaTele, a Kenyan-based medical oxygen provider. This funding marks a significant step toward addressing one of East Africa’s most critical yet overlooked healthcare challenges: the availability of high-quality medical oxygen.
In Kenya, the situation is dire. More than 70% of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants the primary infrastructure for producing medical oxygen are either non-functional or generating oxygen with purity levels below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 90%. This shortfall severely compromises patient care, particularly in emergency, neonatal, and respiratory treatment settings.
HewaTele is actively working to resolve this issue by developing a large-scale liquid oxygen production facility in Kenya. Once completed, the plant will produce oxygen at 99.6% purity, fully compliant with international medical standards. This will ensure a consistent and reliable supply of life-saving oxygen to hospitals and clinics across the region, significantly improving healthcare delivery.
AfricInvest’s investment will be used to finance the construction and operational launch of the new facility, including the procurement of critical equipment. The funding is structured as a senior secured bridge facility, designed to complement ongoing support from HewaTele’s existing backers. These include the Soros Economic Development Fund, Finnfund, UBS Optimus Foundation, and a lending facility from Grand Challenges Canada.
In a joint statement, Noorin Mawani and Faisal Jiwa, co-leads of the Transform Health Fund, expressed their enthusiasm for the partnership:
We are proud to join HewaTele’s existing investors at this pivotal stage in the company’s growth. Oxygen is a cornerstone of effective healthcare – from emergency response and surgical care to treatment for newborns and respiratory illnesses. HewaTele’s approach offers a transformative solution to longstanding challenges in oxygen access across the region. We believe this investment will deliver meaningful impact by strengthening health system resilience and expanding access to care for underserved communities, and we’re excited to support the company’s next chapter.
This investment not only reinforces AfricInvest’s commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure in Africa but also highlights the power of blended finance in catalyzing sustainable, high-impact solutions for public health.
