Founder's Profile
After a 12 year career in the primary healthcare sector – Community Pharmacy practice, in which I worked with all the big players (North Hampshire Hospital, Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots the Chemists, ASDA etc) in the industry as Pharmacist manager, delivering varied services and managing varied sizes of stores in seven cities across England and Wales; I decided the time had come to go back to Africa – Nigeria, to resurrect my vision; using my innate entrepreneurial strengths to change lives for good within the West African hemisphere by participate in primary healthcare and public sector development activities.
Famedix Healthcare Solutions Ltd was incorporated in Nigeria (Jan 2012), with the vision to create West Africa’s premier primary healthcare company; creating sustainable value for stakeholders, as well as building West Africa’s choice healthcare assets underpinned by excellence, entrepreneurship and execution. Nigeria’s primary healthcare industry being grossly underdeveloped, with potential for significant growth in demand and capacity for enhanced quality service; Famadix Healthcare Solutions Ltd was ideally positioned to leverage on this demand.
January 2012, in Dusseldorf, Germany I finalized the process of negotiating an exclusive distribution rights with EPS Bio Tech. Corp of Taiwan for a Blood Glucose Monitors and Test Strips (EasyMax) in the Nigerian, and West African market. EPS Bio Tech. Corp already has established partners in the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa and Pakistan. The growth potential for the products and services we planned to offer the Nigerian healthcare market was vast. Diabetes being one of the most prevalent Non-Communicable Disease in Nigeria. With a Population of >>160, 000, 000 people; we projected the sale of hundreds of thousands of units of Blood Glucose Monitors per annum will be easily surpassed. EasyMax Blood Glucose Monitors and Test Strips was fully registered by NAFDAC in November 2012.
Our revolutionary brand of blood glucose monitors, EasyMax was launched in the Nigerian market in August 2013. With substantial human and material investment in unrelenting guerrilla marketing, EasyMax was accepted in the diabetes care market as the brand to beat with unique features not available in other brands.
We developed Diabetes Care Service products which we introduced to hospitals, endocrinologists, diabetes clinics in Teaching Hospitals, with a wholesale network across 28 of 36 States in Nigeria. By 2014 our EasyMax business was doing a monthly turnover of over £7,000. We had projected a monthly turnover of over £20,000 for the year 2016, when a new government was sworn in May 2015 after Federal elections.
The Nigerian economy collapsed. The country went into her first recession in a decade. This turn of events took the business community unprepared. For over 15 months S.M.E businesses like our fully dependent on foreign exchange could not source the minimum amount of foreign exchange to remain afloat. Almost all government hospitals did not receive monthly subventions from the government for months on end.
The pharmaceutical industry went into a tailspin, nearly collapsed. By November 2017 many of the small players in the pharmaceutical industry (like ours) had gone out of business. Only the big players with foreign subsidiaries/parent companies survived. The retail pharmacy arm of the business continues to run.
In August 2017, after some far-reaching research and analysis of the economy, we decided to divest into the Agric. Industry - Poultry business, as a means of conquering the prevailing economic recession. We incorporated Famagric Ltd and within 9-12 months we were the biggest processed broiler chicken and turkey meat farmers in the city of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Our Farm Fresh poultry products where been used by more than 70% of restaurants and hotels in the Ilorin/city metropolis.
We soon drew the attention of big multimillion-dollar poultry farms in the State (Kwara). One of them owned by foreign investors, saw the volumes we were doing in the capital city of Ilorin (a city they had ignored for years); decided to invest in a Mega cold room to hold large volumes of stock. The cold room was open for business in September 2018, and by the 1st of November 2019 all our clients were getting their suppliers from this company, which due to economies of scale were selling about 30% less than we could.
We shut down the farm November 2018, and by Jan 3rd, 2019 we learnt that the big cold room which had taken all our business from us had been shut down by the Company that owned it. They found out that the volume of the market in Ilorin city was not large enough to sustain a profitable large-scale operation with the costs involved in the city of Ilorin.
While in Nigeria and in the last two years of the recession (2017-2019), with the greatly reduced business tempo, and the economy largely grounded to a halt I decided to explore some other developmental opportunities.
I played a major role in the establishment, developing and running of a Charity founded by a lifelong friend Prof. Mustapha M. Akanbi – MMGIVIT (www.mmgivit.org) as one of the pioneer directors. I was as expected assigned the responsibility of organizing the bi-annual health outreach to indigent communities.
I also took up the challenge of participating in grassroots politics by joining one of the new-generation ethically conscious political parties – Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN). In this period and before the Federal elections in February 2019 I rose to become the State Deputy Chairman, ANN Kwara State, Nigeria and was involved in all activities leading to our party national convention and presidential primaries.
After the Federal elections, won by the incumbent government I ceased the opportunities that arose and decided to take a long sabbatical to come spend some time with my son, who I left in the U,K at age 5. He is now in high school, and there is no time like now to be back home – United Kingdom.
Especially, with the BREXIT tornado swirling by. My Conservative Party Membership renewed – I am ready to tango.
On my return to the UK, my entrepreneurial journey naturally continues.
Ukampala is born, with Africa at her heart.
We are Africa! Let’s Grow Africa…. #Ukampala
Adim Udeh, founder-C.E.O, Ukampala
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It is impossible to have achieved the above fits alone. In a war every Nation needs an army.
In 7 years that Famadix Healthcare Solutions and Famagric Ltd developed and built up varied operational and business skills in over 50 graduates and many more unskilled indispensable team members. I am proud and honoured to have lead a Team of individuals I often watched join us empty and over time become champions.
The Generals in our army to name but a few in no particular order are;
Adodo Ayodeji, Yesirat Funmi Apakala, Ojo Ifedayo Oladipo, Ishaku B Bashir, Funsho Fakuade, Joy Kanu Dickson, Garba Aminah Olawumi, Olawole Olaoye, Okewale Olugbenga, Zainab Gogoyintsu Abubakar, Pharm. Olatunji, Oluwashina Mathias, Adekanye Tolu, Victor Jonah, Margaret Patrick, Abdulwasiu Garba, Iyanuoluwa Ebenezer Adimula, Bashir Otu, Emmanuel Akani, Burga Joel, Pharm. Kemi Salami, Shared Ojoru, Pharm. Kamil Alebiosu Al Agoweey, Tijani Mustapha Ajuwon, Attah John Gabriel, Apuruku Michael, Emmanuel O. Alebiosu, Bunmi Sarumi, Joshua Daramola, Chibuike Umeokolo, Cynthia Abba, Medinat Oyewale, Michael Onwuatuegwu, Babalola Moses Ayotunde, Onyekachi Emenike, Ghaffar Oseni, Godswill Akpabio, Henry Okogbenin, Heston Osemudia Adogun, Ibrahim Bello, Ibrahim Shehu, Ibukun Aina, Lillian Rotimi, Chukwunonso, Michael Igwebuike, Pharm. Solomon Ogundele, Ojoru Babatunde Olalekan Adio, Olayemi Amoko, Osagie Obarogie, Pharm. Segun Adewumi, Pharm. Jide Adekoya, Abiodun Olayurola, Nuel Enweniwe etc
To all the above soldiers and many more not mentioned above, my heart goes out to you in gratitude. Even as you prosper in your current endeavors, I dare say that our mission together is not done.
We are Africa!
Let's Grow Africa. #Ukampala
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