The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and the health advocacy group Speak Up Africa on Thursday announced the winners of the second annual Africa Young Innovators for Health Award at the Galien Forum Africa in Johannesburg.
The award was created to celebrate and provide support to young African entrepreneurs who are pioneering healthcare innovations across the continent. This year’s award focused specifically on innovations aimed at helping African countries achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
Teniola Aderonke Adedeji, CEO of the Nigerian startup Pharmarun, and Ochora Moses, co-founder and CEO of the Ugandan startup Photo-Kabada, were awarded the top prize.
Adedeji expressed enthusiasm about the win, saying it “further validates Pharmarun’s mission of providing fast and easy access to medication. We are committed to ensuring medication access through fostering more collaborations among pharmacies to ensure universal health coverage, beginning with medication and pharmaceutical care.”
Read more: Kotani Pay raises USD 2 million to expand its crypto services across Africa
Moses said the award brings his team “closer to our dreams of getting out of the lab into the clinical space where sick babies are. The Award is also a testament to the fact that homegrown solutions are part of the drivers of Universal Health Coverage.”
The second prize winners were Izath Nura from Uganda and Abdullahi Muhammad Habibu from Nigeria.
In congratulating the winners, Yacine Djibo, Executive Director and Founder of Speak Up Africa, said “Reaching the goal of UHC by 2030 requires substantial public sector investment and accelerated action by governments and partners, building on solid evidence and reorienting health systems to a primary health care approach, to advance equity in both the delivery of essential health services and financial protection.”
Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, added that he was delighted two women and two men won the prizes this year. “IFPMA continues to be committed to accelerating innovation as part of delivering Universal Healthcare Coverage, and today’s Award winners will undoubtedly make a huge contribution to this goal,” he said.
The award highlights the important role young innovators play in improving healthcare across Africa, where the annual healthcare financing gap is estimated at $66 billion.
Email your news TIPS to editor@thesharpdaily.com
