Orange teamed with Axa Assurance in Morocco to acquire a majority stake in health-technology company DabaDoc, as part of the group’s long-term goal to establish itself a multi-service digital operator in Africa and the Middle East.

The operator stated the deal would help position it as a key player in e-health, with DabaDoc specialising in digitising healthcare in Africa, while also relying on Axa Assurance Maroc’s globally-recognised expertise in the segment.

Orange Africa and Middle East and Axa Assurance Maroc will jointly acquire the stake, with the pair running DabaDoc alongside its founders.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Morocco-based DabaDoc was founded in 2014 and has developed solutions used by thousands of healthcare professionals in its home market, Tunisia and Algeria.

Orange and Axa Assurance’s investment and network is designed to accelerate DabaDoc’s growth and extend services to other regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa.

Axa Assurance Maroc first invested in DabaDoc in 2018 and said it was now deepening its relationship to accelerate the digitisation and integration of “its customers’ healthcare journey”.

Orange said it would provide technological expertise and payment solutions, which will help DabaDoc rapidly scale its operations and services across the African healthcare system.

Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa said it wanted to contribute to the digital transformation of the healthcare sector, as a “responsible operator on the continent”.

“The deployment of this type of solution in the countries where we are present will greatly facilitate populations’ access to healthcare services, which is essential to the continent’s development,” he added.