How Gregory Rockson Built mPharma Across Africa’s Healthcare Markets | USAEMALL.com

In Summary

• mPharma was founded in 2013 by Gregory Rockson and co-founders to address fragmented medicine supply chains and make quality drugs more affordable across Africa.
• In 2022, mPharma raised $35 million in Series D funding to enhance its technology, data analytics, and operational expansion across multiple countries.
• Its model combines inventory management, pharmacy services, and data-driven supply systems to lower drug costs, prevent stock-outs, and reach underserved communities.

Deep Dive!!

Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, November 28 – Across Africa, access to reliable medicines has been fragile. Many independent pharmacies struggle to maintain consistent stock, and patients often face stock‑outs, inflated prices, or poor drug quality.

In 2013, Gregory Rockson and his co‑founders recognised this widespread challenge and launched mPharma with a bold vision to build a continent‑wide healthcare supply infrastructure that ensures affordable medicines for all.

From its base in Ghana, mPharma set out to disrupt the traditional pharmaceutical supply chain. Unlike conventional wholesalers, which rely on small-volume, fragmented procurement prone to price volatility and shortages, mPharma introduced a vendor‑managed inventory model paired with data analytics. 

This system empowered small “mom‑and‑pop” pharmacies, enabling them to access drugs without upfront stock costs while ensuring patients pay lower prices and enjoy a steady supply.

Over time, the company expanded rapidly. By the early 2020s, mPharma had scaled operations into at least nine African countries including Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Gabon, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana. Its network grew to cover hundreds of pharmacies and drug stores, serving millions of patients yearly.

The goal extends beyond pills. mPharma targets equitable access to healthcare, a reliable supply of drugs, data-driven supply‑chain transparency, and scalable pharmacy networks, a model that can grow with Africa’s diverse health markets.

Today, mPharma stands as a leading example of pan‑African healthcare innovation, a company that turned a systemic supply challenge into a scalable, continent‑wide solution, aiming to deliver medicines not as a privilege, but as a right.

Early Life, Education, and Experience

Gregory Rockson was born and raised in Ghana, the youngest of five children. Growing up, he witnessed healthcare challenges firsthand, observing his family struggle to access medicines in a fragmented system.

From an early age, Rockson aspired to become a medical doctor, a common path in his community. At 18, he moved to the United States to pursue higher education at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, initially on a pre‑med track. 

Exposure to broader social and political issues inspired him to switch his major to political science, shaping his shift from individual patient care to addressing systemic healthcare solutions.

During his undergraduate years, Rockson gained significant work experience through internships in the New York State Assembly, the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., and a think tank in San Francisco. 

These roles exposed him to policy analysis, governance, and strategic problem-solving, experiences that later informed his approach to healthcare systems.

He further expanded his education through the Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship at Princeton University and later studied at the University of Copenhagen with support from a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. These international experiences broadened his perspective on global healthcare, supply chain management, and public policy, equipping him to tackle Africa’s systemic healthcare challenges.

Before founding mPharma in 2013, Rockson’s professional journey included roles in policy, research, and public administration. This combination of global exposure, academic rigor, and practical experience provided him with a unique skill set blending healthcare understanding, technology, and African market dynamics.

These formative years laid the foundation for mPharma’s innovative approach to solving supply-chain inefficiencies across the continent.

Inspiration to Start mPharma

Gregory Rockson’s inspiration for founding mPharma in 2013 emerged from both personal experiences and systemic healthcare challenges in Africa.

Growing up in Ghana, he observed the frequent lack of access to affordable medicines. His family, like many others, faced high drug prices and the constant risk of counterfeit medications. These early experiences shaped his understanding of the gaps in the healthcare system.

While studying and interning abroad, Rockson saw how structured supply chains and data-driven inventory systems in developed countries ensured consistent access to medicines. This contrast highlighted the inefficiency of African pharmaceutical supply chains, affecting millions.

He realized the challenge was not just treating patients individually, but building a system that could deliver medicines reliably at scale. Small pharmacies often lacked the capital to stock drugs adequately, and poor inventory tracking made demand prediction difficult. This understanding sparked his vision for mPharma, a technology-driven, pan-African network managing inventory, bulk purchases, and financing for small pharmacies to reduce costs, prevent stockouts, and ensure quality medicines reach underserved communities.

On why he chose health over other sectors, Rockson said “Fintech is fine but it is about helping people. We will not have money to spend on the payment process if we are all sick. It may not be the most financially lucrative sector right now, but when I think of the impact and building a transformative journey on the continent, I think no greater work can be done than fixing our broken healthcare infrastructure.”

Rockson believed a tech-enabled model could succeed in diverse regulatory environments because it combined data analytics with flexible, scalable systems that adapt to local markets. By collecting and analyzing inventory and sales data, mPharma could predict demand, optimize distribution, and expand efficiently across multiple African countries.

His inspiration was a fusion of personal insight, policy knowledge, and global exposure a vision for a scalable, technology-driven solution delivering quality medicines affordably across Africa.

What Problem mPharma Solves

Across much of Africa, essential medicines remain expensive, unreliable, and difficult to access. Pharmacies face erratic supply, inflated prices, stock-outs, and limited capital. The pharmaceutical supply chain is fragmented and inefficient, often failing to meet real demand. mPharma addresses these systemic failures, ensuring medicines are affordable, reliable, and widely available.

1. Fragmented Supply Chains and Unpredictable Availability

Independent pharmacies buy in small quantities through multiple middlemen, leading to frequent stock-outs. mPharma solves this by aggregating demand, buying directly from manufacturers, and supplying pharmacies through its vendor-managed inventory (VMI) system. Pharmacies only pay when they dispense, improving availability and freeing up cash.

2. High Drug Prices from Multiple Markups

Long, multi-layered supply chains inflate medicine prices for patients. Centralized procurement and bulk purchasing allow mPharma to eliminate unnecessary markups and reduce prices by up to 30% compared to traditional systems.

3. Lack of Data and Transparency in Pharmacy Operations

Manual operations cause overstocking, wastage, and shortages. mPharma’s Bloom software tracks inventory, sales, prescriptions, and expiry dates in real time, giving pharmacies the data to make informed decisions and prevent losses.

4. Limited Working Capital for Small Pharmacies

Small “mom-and-pop” pharmacies often cannot afford stock upfront, leaving shelves empty. mPharma’s consignment model absorbs inventory risk pharmacies stock medicines supplied by mPharma and pay later, increasing access to essential drugs.

5. Risk of Counterfeit or Substandard Medicines

Weak regulation allows fake medicines into the market. By sourcing directly from trusted manufacturers and maintaining a controlled supply chain, mPharma ensures quality-assured medicines reach patients.

6. Poor Access to Chronic Care for Low-Income Patients

High costs and inconsistent supply disrupt long-term treatment for chronic diseases. Programs like Mutti provide predictable pricing, subsidies, and payment flexibility to support uninterrupted treatment.

7. Limited Primary-Care Touchpoints in Underserved Communities

Many communities lack clinics or diagnostic services, leaving pharmacies as the only access point. mPharma strengthens these pharmacies by integrating diagnostics, remote consultations, and digital care pathways, turning them into mini primary-care hubs.

By addressing these structural gaps in fragmented supply chains and opaque pricing, weak data systems, working-capital constraints, and counterfeit risks mPharma brings order to a chaotic pharmaceutical market. Its model makes medicines more affordable, reliable, and consistently available, transforming pharmacies into stronger community health centers and shifting access to quality medicines from a privilege to a basic right across Africa.

Milestones Achieved by mPharma

mPharma was founded in 2013 by Gregory Rockson alongside co‑founders Daniel Shoukimas and James Finucane, with the vision of addressing systemic gaps in Africa’s pharmaceutical supply chain. From its base in Ghana, the company connected pharmacies to reliable, affordable medicines while introducing technology to manage inventory and demand.

Between 2017 and 2019, mPharma raised a $17 million funding round to expand its vendor‑managed inventory and QualityRx platforms across countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia. 

During this period, the company acquired Haltons Pharmacy, Kenya’s second-largest pharmacy chain, extending its reach beyond supply‑chain solutions. 

By 2020, mPharma served over 250 pharmacies and was named among the 150 most promising digital health startups by CB Insights, establishing its reputation as a leader in African healthtech innovation.

In 2022, mPharma acquired a majority stake in HealthPlus, Nigeria’s leading pharmacy chain, expanding its footprint from 224 to over 320 facilities and targeting care for more than 100,000 patients monthly. This acquisition accelerated patient access and reinforced mPharma’s position in Nigeria’s healthcare market.

 As part of the deal, the company committed US$43 million to scale its QualityRx program, aiming to reach 1,424 health facilities across 25 Nigerian states and support over 750,000 patients monthly (some of these numbers remain future projections).

In April 2023, mPharma launched mutti+, a health subscription plan across partner pharmacies in Nigeria. The program provides affordable access to consultations, lab tests, and essential medicines for common conditions such as malaria, diabetes, and hypertension. By integrating subscription-based primary care with its pharmacy network, mPharma strengthened patient adherence, improved access, and enhanced healthcare delivery.

Between 2024 and 2025, mPharma expanded into Francophone West Africa with strategic investment from Growth Investment Partners, supported by British International Investment (BII). 

The funding supports extending the QualityRx network, optimizing inventory management, and providing affordable medicines and primary healthcare services to underserved populations in Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

As of November 2025, mPharma reports a network of 850 pharmacies serving over 2 million patients across nine African countries. Across its journey, the company has consistently combined technology, strategic acquisitions, and patient-centric innovations to address systemic gaps in African healthcare.

Each milestone demonstrates mPharma’s mission to make quality, affordable medicines accessible to communities that need them most, highlighting its role as a transformative force in the continent’s healthcare ecosystem.

Lessons for Other African Entrepreneurs

Gregory Rockson’s journey building mPharma offers clear insights for African entrepreneurs aiming to create scalable, continent-wide solutions. His experience highlights how addressing systemic problems, combining technology with operational know-how, and maintaining strategic discipline can turn an idea into a transformative enterprise.

1. Build around a real, systemic problem

mPharma succeeded because it tackled deeply entrenched challenges in Africa’s pharmaceutical supply chains, including frequent stockouts, high medicine costs, and fragmented distribution. Focusing on these core problems rather than chasing trends created both social impact and commercial viability.

2. Combine technology with local context

mPharma paired proprietary inventory and pharmacy management software with financing, logistics, and supply-chain solutions tailored to local pharmacies. This ensured technology directly solved real-world challenges and remained indispensable to its partners.

3. Leverage data and scale efficiently

By aggregating demand from hundreds of small pharmacies, mPharma negotiated better supplier prices, reduced intermediaries, and improved supply reliability. Using data strategically and pooling resources generated operational and financial leverage across African markets.

4. Expand with strategic investments and partnerships

Continental growth relied on deliberate funding rounds and acquisitions, such as the HealthPlus stake in Nigeria, rather than solely organic expansion. Entrepreneurs can scale faster by combining capital, partnerships, and acquisitions aligned with their strategic vision.

5. Adapt business models as you scale

mPharma evolved from supply-chain services to retail pharmacy networks, subscription healthcare plans (mutti+), and integrated patient services. This flexibility allowed the company to respond to market needs, regulatory environments, and patient demand, showing the importance of adaptable, modular business models.

6. Think pan-African from the start

Although countries differ culturally and in regulation, mPharma recognized that many core healthcare challenges are shared across Africa. Designing for scale across borders allowed expansion to nine countries and service to millions of patients without rebuilding systems for each market. Regulatory navigation remains a key factor in scaling healthcare ventures across the continent.

Rockson’s experience demonstrates that solving fundamental problems, leveraging technology wisely, and combining strategic discipline with adaptability are essential for building ventures that scale across Africa. For entrepreneurs aiming to create pan-African impact, these lessons underscore the value of a mission-driven, data-informed, and continent-focused approach.

mPharma’s journey under Gregory Rockson shows how solving real problems with technology, strategic partnerships, and adaptable models can create lasting impact across Africa. As the company expands into new markets, it sets the stage for broader access to affordable medicines, stronger healthcare systems, and the integration of diagnostics and primary care services. This forward-looking approach offers a clear example of how mission-driven innovation can reshape healthcare on the continent.