African Innovators Push For Homegrown Health Solutions

African leaders and innovators person declared that the continent’s aboriginal indispensable beryllium shaped by African ingenuity and leadership, whether oregon not assistance is available.

This came astatine a high-level broadside lawsuit themed; “African-led Innovation: Shaping Sustainable Futures with oregon without Aid” astatine the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), co-hosted by eHealth Africa, Population Services International (PSI), Population Council and Reach Digital Health arsenic panelists called for a decisive displacement from dependency to ownership successful the continent’s improvement agenda.

Moderated by Sierra Leone’s curate of accusation and civic education, Hon. Chernor Bah, the league brought unneurotic a divers panel, including the founder, HealthCap Africa, Dr. Ola Brown, Speak Up Africa, Fara Ndiaye, Women astatine Risk International, Dr. Kemi DaSilva Ibru, and others.
“For decades, assistance has shaped health, innovation, and improvement successful Africa, but often without African ownership, This is simply a caller era, an epoch of designing our ain future, wherever African ideas and creativity pb the way,’ Bah said.

Executive Director of eHealth Africa, Atef Fawaz, said immoderate African governments were opening to prioritise innovation, particularly successful wellness technology, expressing optimism that Africa would beryllium among the apical 10–20 emerging markets successful the adjacent 2 decades.

He emphasised that “with oregon without aid” does not mean rejecting partnerships but redefining them.

“It’s not astir others bringing ready-made solutions to us, but astir co-designing sustainable solutions together. Africa has the ideas, insights, and talent. What we request is complementarity,” helium said.
The founder, HealthCap Africa, Dr. Ola Brown, highlighted however backstage superior is helping to capable Africa’s backing gaps. “When we put successful healthcare innovation successful Africa, we don’t conscionable make a healthier continent, we make a healthier world.”

PSI’s Michael Holscher stressed sustainability done section ownership.

“Our projects person timelines. But beyond short-term results, the question is: what happens erstwhile we leave?” helium asked, “True sustainability rests successful the ownership of stakeholders.”

Population Council’s Judith Bruce pressed for inclusivity successful innovation. “Too often, ‘community’ is represented by a fistful of older men. But wherever are the teen girls? Where are the young women?” she asked.

Digital wellness featured prominently successful the discussions, with Africa CDC’s Nsengimana urging the continent to emulate fintech’s occurrence stories. “M-PESA revolutionised fiscal inclusion. We request the aforesaid leap successful wellness tech,” helium said.

Debbie Rogers of Reach Digital Health underscored the value of user-centered design. “Constraints thrust creativity. In Africa, we don’t conscionable enactment astir them, we leapfrog due to the fact that of them,” she said, citing the occurrence of South Africa’s MomConnect, which has reached 5 cardinal women.

For eHealth Africa’s leadership, Africa is nary longer a passive subordinate but a operator of planetary conversations. “It’s an accidental to not conscionable articulation conversations but to pb them. With visibility comes influence, and Africa is present influencing planetary discussions,” said Director of Partnerships and Programs astatine eHealth Africa, Ota Akhigbe.