Q&A Feature
JA Africa: Take us back to the beginning. Where was the team before the JA Social Equity Program?
Team Pharma Express: Before the JA Social Equity Program, each of us had our own separate path and individual business ideas, but we shared one common drive: we wanted to build something that solved real problems in our community. We had plenty of motivation, but moving from a raw idea to an actual, structured business was our biggest hurdle. We lacked a clear methodology to analyze the market, build a viable model, and actually get started.
JA Africa: How did those individual ideas merge into the Pharma Express platform we see today?
Team Pharma Express: During the training, everyone presented their concepts. Claude Julien Gbra introduced Pharma Express, a digital solution designed to make access to pharmaceutical services simpler and safer by connecting patients, pharmacies, and delivery providers. After presenting and discussing, our entire team voted to unite around Pharma Express as our shared mission.
JA Africa: What was holding you back from making that leap earlier?
Team Pharma Express: Funding, regulatory hurdles, technical questions, and honestly, the fear of doing it wrong. We needed to know how to turn a simple idea into an operational business. Before the training, entrepreneurship felt like a difficult, uncertain path. The JA Social Equity Program taught us that starting a business doesn’t mean waiting for perfect conditions; it means learning to move forward step by step.
JA Africa: Was there a specific “lightbulb moment” where everything clicked?
Team Pharma Express: The turning point was putting our idea on paper with structured objectives, a commercial strategy, and a concrete action plan. At that moment, Pharma Express was no longer just a concept; it was a real project we could build together. We stopped asking, “Is this a good idea?” and started asking, “What problem are we solving, for whom, and with what business model?”
JA Africa: Where does Pharma Express stand today, and what comes next?
Team Pharma Express: We’ve moved from zero to an active app in development (pharmaexpress.tech), a dedicated team, grant funding, and over 125 early users signed up before our official launch! Seeing real people sign up voluntarily proved that our market is ready.
Over the next 3 to 5 years, we plan to establish Pharma Express as a leading healthcare access platform in Côte d’Ivoire before scaling into broader African markets.
JA Africa: What is your advice to other young African innovators sitting on an idea?
Team Pharma Express: Don’t wait for the perfect moment; it doesn’t exist. Start small. An idea only becomes a project once you test it against reality. Accept the mistakes, adapt, and keep moving. As our journey has taught us: Confidence. Resilience. Action. A great vision always starts with a small step.
