Flint Atlantic Capital Partners, a Nigerian healthcare impact investment firm, has invested in Africa Healthcare Network (AHN), the largest dialysis and kidney care services chain in Rwanda. 

The investment was made jointly with US-based Polaris Partners (Polaris), a global healthcare venture capital firm and will help to fund AHN’s expansion in Rwanda and across Africa over the next two years.

AHN operates dialysis units in government hospitals as well as stand-alone centers and has already achieved several laudable feats, including signing the first Public ­Private Partnership with a district hospital in the history of Rwanda in April 2016.

Nikhil Pereira­ Kamath, AHN CEO and Co-Founder, said: “Our plan is to open over 20 dialysis centers in the next two to three years as we focus on bringing high quality, affordable kidney care to sub-­Saharan Africa. Our mission is to increase access to treatment and raise awareness of kidney illnesses across the region.”

The dialysis market across Africa is highly under-­penetrated and characterized by fragmentation with limited access for most people. 

As concurrent demographic and epidemiological changes that increase the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) occur, the demand for such services is expected to increase. 

CKD is the leading condition that necessitates dialysis services. 

Within this context, AHN is uniquely positioned to become a regional dialysis services leader, given its execution capabilities, competitive costs, and competent management team.

Commenting on the investment, Kelechi Ohiri, Managing Partner at Flint Atlantic, said: “This deal demonstrates our commitment to increasing the access to and quality of health care, particularly for underserved segments of the population.”

“Together with AHN management and Polaris, we are excited to continue delivering social impact and are currently exploring other potential markets such as Nigeria and Tanzania where there are strong fundamentals and significant need for dialysis and kidney care services,” he said.

Flint Atlantic said it is excited to partner with Polaris Partners on this deal, as this marks the first foray of the US firm into sub-Saharan Africa. 

Polaris Partners invests in technology and healthcare companies across all stages of their life cycles. 

Flint Atlantic will continue to execute investments in innovative and disruptive healthcare businesses across the region in a bid to create scalable and sustainable companies delivering measurable social impact.