Japanese maker of medical equipment and clinical tests Sysmex has set up an office in Nairobi with an eye on the regional markets.
The firm, which will operate in Kenya as Sysmex East Africa, is a subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, headquartered in Kobe, Japan, and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It projects a long-term investment of approximately $2 million (Sh258.53 million) in Kenya.
“Japanese companies are investing more in Africa. There are a lot of opportunities for us to introduce our diagnostic solutions to the African market. We believe that certain equipment for screening will be of value to the country, especially in haematology, HIV, and other laboratory requirements that our company can provide,” Alain Baverel, President and CEO of Sysmex Europe GmbH told Business Daily.
“We are already in countries such as Rwanda, therefore we want our products to solve real issues. Make people’s lives better. And make the working life of those who use our products easier” he added.
Sysmex said that it targets to serve nine countries in the region from its Nairobi hub including Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Working in partnership with its existing base in South Africa, Sysmex said that its East Africa unit will focus on expanding access to diagnostics solutions through both direct sales and collaboration with regional distributors.
The company intends to spread its diagnostic facilities in Kenya’s counties with a proposal targeting level 4, 5, and 6 hospitals spread across the 47 counties.
Sysmex established its first subsidiary in Africa in South Africa in 2006, followed by ones in Burkina Faso in 2013 and in Ghana in 2015, and then in Egypt in 2018. It has now set its eyes on expansion in Eastern Africa regional markets.
“We did our research and looked at the market, looked at what kind of product lines we are going to use, and we saw that as a country, there are a lot of pieces that are missing somehow in the diagnostic solutions that we have put in place,” Mr Baverel said.
“The investment is in several millions. We started with $2 million in Ghana and we are projecting to invest a similar amount in Kenya. The investment is a long-term one. This investment is necessary to build an academy for training, to bring a lot of digital solutions, and to bring products that will fit the market” the official added.
Kenya's healthcare market is attracting increasing interest from investors due to its growth potential and evolving landscape.
Key factors driving this interest are a rising population, increasing demand for healthcare services, and opportunities in areas like private-public partnerships, medical tourism, technological innovation and the pharmaceutical industry.
“We believe in investing in education. We are not in Kenya just because of Kenya. Kenya is a hub for us in the East African region. We are aware of the talent and culture of the country and we want to take advantage of that,” Umut Gokalp, head of Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Sysmex said.
