How Blink Pharma is Leading Morocco’s Digital Healthcare Revolution

Among the most compelling examples of digital transformation is Blink Pharma, a Moroccan start-up reshaping the pharmaceutical industry through technology.

In a continent where effective resource management is vital for sustainable development, digital transformation stands out as a key solution for growth and resilience. This issue will take center stage during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB), scheduled to take place from 26 to 30 May in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.” A strategic lens will be turned toward innovation in health and other critical sectors, highlighting models of success that can be scaled across the continent.

Among the most compelling examples of digital transformation is Blink Pharma, a Moroccan start-up reshaping the pharmaceutical industry through technology. By leveraging digital tools to streamline supply chains, enhance transparency, and ensure consistent drug availability, Blink Pharma exemplifies how innovation can amplify both efficiency and impact in healthcare.

Blink Pharma: Pioneering Digital Integration in Morocco’s Pharmaceutical Sector

Founded in 2020 in Casablanca, Blink Pharma emerged in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, at a time when many considered launching a new enterprise too risky. Yet for Ali Sami, a trained physician with two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical sector, and Adil Bertul, an expert in health logistics, the pandemic presented an unexpected opportunity.

With lockdowns paralyzing traditional supply systems, pharmacies faced stock-outs and severe logistical challenges. Blink Pharma responded with a first-of-its-kind digital platform that connects pharmacists with wholesalers and laboratories, centralizing the ordering process and reducing delays. By doing so, the platform enabled real-time inventory tracking, curbed the risk of shortages, and significantly improved service delivery to end patients.

Today, Blink Pharma’s platform links approximately 4,000 pharmacies—nearly 40% of Morocco’s total—to over 40 wholesalers and 20 laboratories, facilitating an integrated pharmaceutical supply network via Android and iOS mobile apps.

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From Emergency to Opportunity: How the Pandemic Accelerated Innovation

According to CEO Ali Sami, without the urgency created by the pandemic, widespread digital adoption in the pharmacy sector might have taken six to seven more years. Instead, necessity drove transformation: “The pandemic accelerated digitization by pharmacists,” says Sami. “It was a critical inflection point that validated our vision and forced rapid adoption.”

What began with a team of just four in 2020 has now grown to 17 employees, as Blink Pharma expands its technical and commercial capabilities. The start-up also developed a suite of pharmacy management tools, branded as 4.0 software, to optimize daily operations, enhance financial forecasting, and provide performance analytics. The company offers this software in free and premium tiers, encouraging pharmacies to upgrade their operations through affordable digital solutions.

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Support from the African Development Bank and Azur Innovation Fund

A major milestone came in May 2022, when Blink Pharma received funding from the Azur Innovation Fund, a public-private seed capital vehicle dedicated to supporting innovative start-ups in Morocco. The fund, backed by the African Development Bank, offers not just financial assistance but also mentorship, technical support, and growth monitoring.

This strategic partnership has empowered Blink Pharma to scale rapidly, with an eye on both domestic consolidation and pan-African expansion. The company envisions integrating third-party payment solutions, working alongside Morocco’s evolving social security architecture to ensure seamless and secure transactions. This would help include underinsured populations and make healthcare more accessible.

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Eyes on Africa: A Vision for Continental Impact

With a firm base in Morocco, Blink Pharma is actively planning to expand into 15 other African markets, starting with Nigeria and Senegal. These countries, like Morocco, face similar challenges in pharmaceutical logistics and are prime candidates for digital transformation in healthcare.

CEO Sami envisions Blink Pharma playing a critical role in Africa’s digital health future. “Morocco is a country of opportunities,” he says. “The digital transformation of the pharmaceutical sector is an essential piece of the country’s broader path to economic emergence.”

A Broader Agenda: Innovation as a Development Driver

The story of Blink Pharma aligns closely with the AfDB’s vision of leveraging innovation and capital to foster sustainable development. By supporting local start-ups, the Bank is not only addressing structural gaps in key sectors but also promoting job creation, youth entrepreneurship, and technological self-reliance.

As the AfDB meetings in Abidjan approach, examples like Blink Pharma underscore how African ingenuity, when supported by strategic investment and policy alignment, can transform entire sectors and uplift millions.