Abu Dhabi-based healthcare firm M42 has signed a 10-year agreement with Botswana to establish a national genomics program, digitize the country’s health records, and improve access to medicines. The partnership includes population-level genomic sequencing, which can generate extensive health data and help identify treatable conditions. The agreement also aims to strengthen pharmaceutical and medical supply chains through Mubadala Bio, the life sciences arm of Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. The deal represents M42’s first government-level agreement in Africa and one of the UAE’s more significant healthcare investments on the continent. It also reflects the company’s view that countries in the Global South can leapfrog legacy healthcare systems by adopting advanced digital and genomic technologies.