By David MacDonald A West African tech start-up has the solution to those half-empty plastic prescription bottles taking up space in your medicine cabinet and it is every bit as noble as it is genius. Senegalian developer Adama Kane spoke with CNN about his “virtual pharmacy,” JokkoSanté, an app that connects people in need of pharmaceuticals with people who want to make a positive impact on their community. It works like this: residents take their unused doctor prescribed medicine to a licensed pharmacy and in return the Good Samaritan receives points towards future prescriptions. The medication is then matched with a struggling individual or family. Senegalian developer Adama Kane spoke with CNN about his “virtual pharmacy,” JokkoSanté, an app that connects people in need of pharmaceuticals with people who want to make a positive impact on their community In two years, JokkoSanté – which is a combination of the Wolof word for communication and the French word for health – has gained 1,500 active users on a continent where just 25 percent of the population has access to reliable internet. For Kane, JokkoSanté is a partial solution to two global problems: waste and crime. First, the app creates a circular economy, he told CNN, where unopened medicines never take-up space at home or the landfill. Second, it discour- ages people from buying fake and illegal pharmaceuticals that often fund larger elements of organized crime. For Kane, JokkoSanté is a partial solution to two global problems: waste and crime. JokkoSanté also makes it possible to purchase points for family, friends, and people in need. Partners of JokkoSanté can make donations to a demographic of their choice, like families with small children. For now, JokkoSanté is limited. Kane partners with only one hospital and four pharmacies in Dakar and its environs, according to CNN. Editor’s Note: Content of this Spotlight on Business Magazine piece is derived from Nosmot Gbadamosi’s May 3 rd piece on CNN.com.
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MAY 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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