Highlights from the Africa HealthTech Summit in Kigali, Rwanda

CcHUB participated in the Africa HealthTech Summit (AHTS 2024) in Kigali, Rwanda—a transformative gathering of innovators, leaders, and stakeholders committed to redefining healthcare across Africa. Representing CcHUB at this milestone event was Stephanie Okpere, the Head of the Design for Health practice at CcHUB, whose insights and contributions further underscored our commitment to advancing digital health solutions on the continent.

Catch up on our highlights below: 

1️⃣ Empowering the Health Workforce

The integration of digital technologies in healthcare has significantly outpaced the readiness of Africa’s health workforce, underscoring an urgent need for capacity building to ensure professionals are equipped with the skills required to adapt.

As Hon. Halima Daudi aptly stated:
“Re-skilling health workers is crucial to prepare them for new roles that align with current and future needs, ensuring a workforce that remains agile and capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving industry.”

The session on “Enhancing the Health Workforce Capacity to Deliver in a Digital World,” hosted by Population Services International (PSI), AMREF, and the West African Institute of Public Health (WAIPH), addressed this challenge head-on. It was part of the Workforce Development flagship initiative, focusing on scalable, innovative strategies to strengthen the digital health workforce across Africa.

At Design for Health by CcHUB, we are committed to shaping the future of healthcare by investing in workforce capacity-building initiatives. Our approach includes:

• Leveraging technology to reach the last mile: Ensuring even the most remote communities have access to healthcare innovations.
• Partnering with African universities to equip the next generation of health professionals with the skills to thrive in a rapidly digitalizing health sector.

We are dedicated to enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality across the continent. We remain steadfast in contributing to initiatives that bridge skill gaps, foster innovation, and drive sustainability in Africa’s health sector.

2️⃣ The Launch of the Africa CDC Health Tech Marketplace

At AHTS24, the session Borderless Innovation: Accelerating HealthTech Adoption in Africa marked a pivotal moment with the official launch of the Africa HealthTech Marketplace—a groundbreaking platform designed to connect and scale innovative health solutions across the continent. Explore the platform here: Africa HealthTech Marketplace.

This marketplace curates digital health solutions rigorously vetted by a panel of global experts in digital health, including policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem enablers. The session emphasized the critical role of scalability in leveraging drones and digital health technologies to address Africa’s healthcare challenges.

H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, celebrated the launch, highlighting the ingenuity of African entrepreneurs and the need for multisector collaboration to drive sustainable change. Africa CDC’s Chief Digital Advisor underscored the challenges in transforming HealthTech innovations into scalable movements, advocating for deeper integration of these technologies into public health systems. Steve Conrad from the Digital Impact Alliance provided insights into how the marketplace categorizes solutions by development stage, enabling governments to identify and adopt relevant tools efficiently.

Featured HealthTech startups included Aviro Pocket Clinic, Impala, MedPack, OpenHIM, Rology, and Vula, each showcasing innovations poised to reshape healthcare delivery.

3️⃣ Celebrating the Second Phase of the i3 Program
Another key milestone at #AHTS24 was the launch of the second phase of the Investing in Innovation (i3) program. In its inaugural cohort, CcHUB served as the acceleration partner, facilitating over 200 engagements between health tech innovators and sponsors or partners. This led to pilot projects and transformative collaborations that expanded the reach and impact of the participating startups.

Notably, 17 innovators from Cohort 1 secured impactful partnerships, scaling their solutions across more than 24,000 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in 26 African countries. This success highlights i3’s commitment to strengthening Africa’s healthcare supply chain by accelerating the commercialization of groundbreaking innovations.

The second phase builds on these achievements, promising to catalyze healthcare transformation further and foster a thriving ecosystem of scalable, impactful healthtech solutions across the continent.

Read more on the website: http://innovationsinafrica.com/

4️⃣ Stephanie Okpere on the Panel for Health Entrepreneurs

A significant challenge facing African health startups is the lack of structured capacity-building programs. This gap contributes to the high failure rate of promising innovations, as many young entrepreneurs struggle with critical skills such as securing investments, scaling their solutions, and navigating the complex healthcare ecosystem. These barriers ultimately hinder their ability to build sustainable, impactful businesses that address pressing health needs.

This was central to the discussion in the “Business Skills for Health Entrepreneurs” panel session, supported by the Mastercard Foundation. The session brought together renowned leaders, including our practice lead Stephanie Okpere, Pavan Ananth of GSD Africa, and Omobosola Asuni of Helium Health, to tackle essential topics such as basic business skills, intellectual property rights, talent management, partnership development, and product distribution.

This discussion underscored the vital role of equipping innovators with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in the healthcare sector, fostering a new wave of resilient, impactful startups across the continent.

5️⃣ Networking and Collaboration
The summit provided an incredible platform for making new connections, exchanging ideas, and exploring opportunities for future collaborations. It was inspiring to see stakeholders align on shared goals to strengthen healthcare systems and improve access to quality services across Africa.

At Design for Health by CcHUB, we remain driven to harness technology and innovation to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare services. We’re excited about the future collaborations and milestones this summit has set into motion!

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