Africa Young Innovators for Health Award

Inititatives | Partnerships and alliances | Africa Young Innovators for Health Award 

Africa Young Innovators for Health Award 

The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award was created by IFPMA and Speak Up Africa to offer pioneering young health entrepreneurs across Africa financial and in-kind opportunities to bring their game-changing business ideas to life.

africayounginnovatorsforhealth.org

Overview

Africa has the youngest population and one of the highest entrepreneurship rates in the world, which adds up to a major opportunity to fuel innovation in healthcare. The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award is IFPMA and Speak Up Africa’s response, an exciting flagship program for young entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector.

In the 2nd edition of the Award, we seek to find and nurture health innovations that will help us get closer to the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). While many African countries have shown their commitment to achieving UHC by 2030, progress towards attaining this goal has stalled in the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating already strained health systems.

In a bid to accelerate efforts to reach global goals dedicated to providing healthcare to anyone who needs it, the 2nd edition of the award program is searching for innovations that can help:

Extend population coverage (who receives services, linked to equity and non-discrimination)
Extend service coverage (what health services are available)
Ensure financial protection (ensuring health services do not lead to poverty).

The call for applications was extended until 8 August. Apply now!

Background

By 2050, the African population up to 24 years old will have increased by almost 50%.

According to the African Development Bank, an impressive 22% of the continent’s population of working age are starting businesses. This is the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world.

The combination of a youthful population and a blossoming entrepreneurial spirit adds up to a powerful opportunity for positive, rapid economic and social change.

But, to enable this, a growing amount of investment in human capital is needed. This is where the Award comes in.

Its goal is to strengthen the young entrepreneurship system across Africa so that the region’s young demographic can fulfill its enormous potential to make change.

Locally, the Award aims to develop on the ground capacity for innovation.

The 2021 Award: Healthcare workers

Africa is home to just 3% of the world’s health workforce but the continent carries a quarter of the burden of global disease. The dramatic shortfall of financial and human resources across Africa puts an enormous strain on the system and healthcare workers.

In 2021, the Award focused on helping enable the entrepreneurial spirit and technological expertise of young Africans to bridge the gap between resources and need.

Award winners took home a total of USD 75,000 in financial support. They also benefited from a business mentorship program, media training, and technical support with intellectual property protection as well as exposure to a renowned network of global health leaders.

Award winners

Conrad Tankou, CEO of GIC Space

Tankou developed five proprietary medical technologies under the GICMED platform to remotely screen and diagnose women for breast and cervical cancers.

John Mwangi, CEO of Daktari Media

Mwangi invented Daktari Online, an online medical learning platform that offers continuing medical education to healthcare professionals.

Imodoye Abioro, CEO of Healthbotics

Abioro created an AI-powered Electronic Medical Records system, Mediverse. Built on the blockchain, this allows health workers to input and retrieve patient records with their voice, with or without internet access.

It is an honor to receive the first-ever Africa Young Innovators for Health Award. This is a true endorsement of our accomplishments and testament to our goal.

Conrad Tankou,

1st prize winner

I continue to be impressed by the dedication, vision, and creativity of young people in the healthcare sector. The Award program is a testament to the potential but also the concrete solutions that already exist to some of the most challenging health issues not only in Africa but around the world.

Yacine Djibo,

Founder and Executive Director, Speak Up Africa

As a female innovator, you find yourself learning alone along the way because the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field is competitive and male-dominated. I look forward to learning from a network of experts available through the incubator.

Angella Kyomugisha,

Women Innovators Incubator participant

We want to advance young women, and we want to promote local innovation because we know that the future of Africa lies both in the innovation and its youth.

Greg Perry, I

FPMA Assistant Director-General

The Women Innovators Incubator

Only one fifth of applications to take part in the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award came from women. Reacting to this, IFPMA and Speak Up Africa launched the Women Innovators Incubator program as part of the Award.

It aims to overcome the extra challenges women face when it comes to taking their business ideas from concept to reality.

Additionally, the Incubator addresses the significant imbalances between men and women in access to funding, training and skills development, professional networks, and overall participation in competitive environments.

Women taking part benefit from much-needed financial support, business mentorship, media training, expert advice on IP protection, and access to an influential network of supporters.

Every woman who applies to the Award competition is eligible to join the Women Innovators Incubator program.

Women’s Innovation Incubator awardees

Angella Kyomugisha

Angella Kyomugisha is the co-founder and co-CEO of Kaaro Health, a social enterprise that aims to increase access to healthcare in Africa’s most remote areas.

Kaaro Health deploys telehealth-enabled container clinics staffed by a nurse and a lab technician from the local communities in villages that otherwise have no clinic within a 25-kilometre radius. As a result, more people have access to fundamental health needs, reducing the time and cost burdens of seeking care.

Nuriat Nambogo

Nuriat Nambogo is the founder and CEO of MobiCare, a mobile-based platform that bridges the gap between patients and medical professionals through appointment scheduling.

After losing her pregnancy because she was unable to consult a doctor in time and as a response to the long queues at most health facilities, Nuriat developed MobiCare. This allows patients to access and consult doctors they need at the right time in their preferred health facilities.

Marie Chantal Umunyana

Marie Chantal Umunyana is a final year medical student and the founder of Umubyeyi, a digital health platform that delivers information directly from specialists to women on maternal and child health and parenting through web, mobile, and social media channels.

“Umubyeyi”, Kinyarwanda for “mother,” equips young mothers, pregnant women, and prospective parents with essential information that enables them to improve both their health and that of their children.

Media partners: Africa.com, Télésud, and SciDev.Net

Apply for the 2nd edition of the Awards

The Awards program has opened its call for applications until 8 August. If you would like to find out more about the next Award, or share your innovation, visit our website.

Apply now