Testament

El-Roi Group: Redefining Eye Care in West Africa and Setting New Standards Across Africa

The El-Roi Group, Ghana’s pioneering eye care conglomerate, is transforming the landscape of clinical optometry in West Africa. Through its flagship network, Imperial Eye Care Centre, the group has built West Africa’s largest indigenously owned, optometrist-led private clinical network, setting a benchmark in multi-regional, professional, and patient-centered eye care.

With 22 verified locations across Ghana, the network delivers comprehensive clinical services, including disease management, advanced diagnostics, and residency training for optometry professionals. This expansive footprint makes the El-Roi Group the only private network in West Africa to combine indigenous ownership, optometrist-led leadership, and multi-regional clinical operations, creating a standard unmatched by any competitor in the region.

The network’s reach is not only broad but also deep. Ghana’s 34 million population now has access to one El-Roi/Imperial facility for every 1.55 million people, far surpassing the per-capita reach of any other regional network. By contrast, Nigeria-based Eyemasters operates 17 reported sites across more than 220 million people — highlighting the El-Roi Group’s concentrated national impact.

Beyond West Africa, the El-Roi Group has achieved a continentally unique feat: it operates Africa’s most expansive indigenously owned, optometrist-led private clinical network within a single country. Unlike retail optical franchises such as Optica Kenya or Spec-Savers South Africa, or multinational surgical chains like Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, El-Roi’s network is focused on clinical excellence, professional leadership, and integrated operations within one national health system, rather than dispersed or retail-focused expansion.

The group’s innovative approach is further strengthened by FOVEA (Facility Overall Versatile Eyecare Application), its proprietary electronic medical record system. FOVEA standardizes patient data, tracks outcomes, and enables research across all facilities, positioning El-Roi not only as a care provider but also as a hub for professional development, training, and health research.

The El-Roi Group’s achievements are about more than growth—they are about category creation. Before the network’s inception in 2011, Ghana had no multi-location, private clinical optometry network. All this started in 2011 and has been made possible by the God-given vision, wisdom, and ability of Dr. Jerome Abaka-Cann, OD, FAAO, ably supported by his management and staff. The group demonstrated that it is possible to finance, staff, and operate a distributed network of clinical facilities within a single national system, creating a model that others now follow.

As Ghana and the wider West African region continue to develop their health systems, the El-Roi Group stands as a leader and innovator, providing high-quality eye care services, advancing professional training, and setting the standard for private clinical networks across Africa.