CFAO expands in Southern Africa, buys majority of Botswana's Medswana
What's the deal? EURAPHARMADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, part of France's CFAODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → healthcare division, has acquired a 75% stake in MedswanaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a major pharmaceutical wholesaler in Botswana. The terms were not disclosed. Parent group Toyota TsushoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → said the move accelerates CFAODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s healthcare expansion across Southern Africa.
What each side brings: CFAO is the pan-African leader in pharmaceutical distribution, delivering to more than 11,000 pharmacies across 24 African countries. Medswana ranks first in private-market share for pharmaceutical distribution in Botswana.
Why now? Demand for medicines is rising across Africa with population and economic growth, straining healthcare systems and supply chains. Building secure distribution networks that keep counterfeit medicines out is a growing priority on the continent.
A parallel move: CFAO is also expanding in Madagascar, where it acquired fellow wholesaler OPHAMDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — the private-market leader there — in a deal announced on September 2, 2026. It already operates in the country through Laborex Madagascar, and says both businesses will continue under their existing frameworks.
What's the endgame? CFAO is building a vertically integrated value chain linking local production, wholesale, and retail. In 2024 it set up CFAO Healthcare South Africa by buying Sanofi's over-the-counter business there; in 2025 it took full ownership of Goodlife PharmacyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, East Africa's leading retail chain with about 150 locations.
The signal: The deals mark steady consolidation in African medicine supply, as CFAO stretches from wholesale distribution toward regional scale and an integrated, traceable supply chain across the continent.
Read more: african-startups.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
