Two Nigerians and two Ugandans win Africa Young Innovators for Health Award
The winners of the second round of the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award have been revealed by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and Speak Up Africa (https://www.IFPMA.org/). The winners of the first prize, Mrs. Teniola Aderonke Adedeji (Nigeria) and Dr. Ochora Moses (Uganda), as well as the second prize, went to Mrs. Izath Nura (Uganda) and M. Abdullahi Muhammad Habibu (Nigeria).
The declaration was made at the Galien Forum Africa, which honors innovation and superiority in African research. With the cash and in-kind opportunities provided by the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award, innovative young business owners can progress their inventions for improved community health outcomes.
The Award’s second iteration concentrated on new approaches to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa. Although several African governments have expressed a desire to achieve UHC by 2030, development must pick up speed. The Award concentrated on innovation that might aid in extending service coverage, population coverage, and patient financial security.
“Winning the Award’s top honor further supports Pharmarun’s aim of facilitating quick and simple access to drugs. We are dedicated to ensuring medication access by encouraging increased pharmacy collaborations to ensure universal health coverage, starting with medication and pharmaceutical care, said Mrs. Teniola Aderonke Adedeji, CEO of Pharmarun (Nigeria), an on-demand platform that provides a practical solution to disjointed access to necessary medications and the first-place winner.
“This Award has humbled the Photo-Kabada crew. We have a chance to get closer to our goals of working with unwell newborns in the clinical setting by taking advantage of this opportunity. The first prize winner of the Award and Co-Founder and CEO of Photo-Kabada (Uganda), a hybrid remotely monitored, phototherapy device developed as a solution to reduce the burden, morbidity, and mortality associated with neonatal jaundice especially in low and middle-income countries, said Dr. Moses Ochora, “The Award is also a testament to the fact that homegrown solutions are part of the drivers of Universal Health Coverage.”
Award partners congratulated the winners and said:
“To advance equity in both the delivery of necessary health services and financial protection, achieving the goal of UHC by 2030 requires significant public sector investment and accelerated action by governments and partners, building on sound evidence and reorienting health systems to a primary health care approach. The second edition of the Award was built around this theme because it also calls for innovative, fit-for-purpose health advances, according to Yacine Djibo, executive director and founder of Speak Up Africa.
“We extend our sincere congratulations to this year’s Africa Young Innovators for Health Award recipients. I’m happy that two women and two men received honors this year, since we worked to ensure gender equality in the competition.
According to Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, “IFPMA remains committed to advancing innovation as part of delivering Universal Healthcare Coverage, and today’s Award winners will definitely make a great contribution to this aim.
“Realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s goals and the fundamental human right to health depend on achieving universal health coverage by that year. According to Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of Neglected Tropical Disease at the World Health Organization and member of the jury for the second edition, “I am very appreciative of and supportive of such program that significantly contributes in the achievement of our common goals through tangible and intangible support to African entrepreneurs.”
