French digital health insurer Alan is making its first move into Africa through the acquisition of Senegalese healthtech company Tanel, giving the fast-growing company an immediate foothold in one of West Africa’s emerging health insurance markets.
The deal, announced in September 2026, brings Tanel’s operations in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire into Alan’s growing international business. The acquisition amount was not disclosed, but the transaction gives Alan access to a business serving approximately 70,000 people across the two countries.
For Alan, the move is less about simply entering another geography and more about adapting its digital health and insurance model to a largely underdeveloped market. The company estimates that the health insurance market across Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire is worth close to €600 million and is growing by roughly 10% annually.
Tanel provides an important local foundation for that expansion. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Dakar, the company helps employers manage employee health coverage through digital tools that simplify access to care, member support and healthcare benefits. Its corporate customers include companies such as Yango and KFC.
Rather than building an African operation from scratch, Alan is acquiring an existing platform with local knowledge, customers and relationships. This gives the French company a faster route into the market while reducing some of the challenges associated with navigating local insurance regulations and healthcare systems.
The acquisition also gives Tanel a new growth platform. The company’s co-founders, Mouhamed Ndoye and Makhtar Diop, will continue leading Alan’s African operations and are expected to drive expansion across the region. Alan plans to eventually move beyond Francophone West Africa into English-speaking markets in West and East Africa.
The timing is significant for Alan. The company recently raised €580 million, lifting its valuation to €5.5 billion, and now has more than one million members across France, Spain, Belgium and Canada. Its investors include Prosus, Index Ventures and football star Kylian Mbappé.
Alan’s African strategy also reflects a broader opportunity created by limited insurance penetration and gaps in healthcare infrastructure. Digital platforms can help employers and employees access insurance, manage claims and connect with healthcare services more efficiently.
For African investors, Tanel’s acquisition is notable as well. It represents an exit for early backers including Ventures Platform and Japan’s AAIC Investment, highlighting the potential for African healthtech companies to attract international strategic buyers.
Alan’s entry could therefore mark the beginning of a larger African expansion. By combining its technology and preventive-health model with Tanel’s local expertise, the company is positioning itself to compete for a rapidly developing West African health insurance opportunity—and potentially build a much larger healthcare business across the continent.
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