Two Ugandan scientists win Africa Young Innovators for Health Award

Two Ugandan scientists, recipients of the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award for contributions to Universal Health Coverage, have pledged to use the honour to scale up their work and deliver for both their country and the African continent.

In separate interviews with the Monitor, Dr Ochora Moses, a first-prize winner, and Ms Izath Nura, a second-prize winner, described their respective awards as life-changing.

The Ugandan duo were jointly awarded with two Nigerians, with Ms Teniola Aderonke Adedeji as the first prize winner and Mr Abdullahi Muhammad Habibu as the second prize winner.

The announcement was made at the Galien Forum Africa, which celebrates creativity and excellence in science in Africa. The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award supports pioneering young entrepreneurs with the financial and in-kind opportunities they need to advance their innovations for better health outcomes in their communities.

"Winning the Africa Young Innovators in Health Award is one of my greatest achievements and has boosted my confidence to grow in the tech space, attract, inspire, and provide mentorship to fellow women as we develop solutions to our own problems in Africa," Ms Nura said in an interview.

Nura received her BSc. Degree in Computer Engineering from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), where she is currently enrolled for a master's degree in Pathogen Epidemiological Studies on a scholarship.

She describes herself as an innovator and leads her team in developing "Autothermo," a medical device targeting to aid clinicians (medical doctors and nurses) to continuously monitor newborns' body temperature from a remote central display, allowing prioritization and timely administration of thermal care interventions in places with limited human resource for health.

"The Africa Young Innovators in Health Award," she says, "will facilitate Autothermo clinical tests, publish findings from the clinical tests, improve and develop a fully functional Autothermo device based on feedback from clinical tests. The award will also increase the visibility of Autothermo to different stakeholders working towards improving newborn survival."

For Dr. Ochora, receiving the award "is a recognition of how promising our innovation is, and it also challenges the team to work harder on the technology." Dr. Ochora explains that he has a firm belief in leveraging homegrown solutions to tackle healthcare challenges in our settings and says he will use the award to do more research and development and ensure that their device attains the requisite standards.

"We intend to leverage the networks we shall get from Speak Up Africa to build a robust, sustainable, and scalable device," he explains.

"Photo-Kabada is a remotely monitored hybrid phototherapy machine capable of simultaneously treating at least 3 babies with neonatal jaundice remotely," Dr. Ochora says. "Our device has a solar-powered battery that can last 96 hours. This makes it suitable for health facilities with frequent power outages. We also have an inbuilt vital signs monitor that is remotely connected to a dashboard. The PhotoKabada design is meant to solve an unmet need to have a 'one-stop' point for a baby with neonatal jaundice."

For its second edition, the Award focused on innovations to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa. Many African governments have shown their commitment to achieving UHC by 2030, but progress needs to be accelerated. The Award focused on innovation that can help extend population coverage, extend service coverage, and ensure financial protection for patients.

"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. It also requires fresh, bold, and fit-for-purpose health innovations, and this is why the Award's second edition was based on this theme," says Yacine Djibo, Executive Director and Founder of Speak Up Africa.

The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award is a program launched by Speak Up Africa and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) in 2021. Since its launch, it has focused on supporting young health entrepreneurs across Africa with the tools they need to advance promising healthcare solutions for the betterment of their communities.

"Huge congratulations to the winners of this year's Africa Young Innovators for Health Award. We wanted to guarantee gender equality in this year's awards, and I'm delighted that two women and two men have won. 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," said Thomas Cueni, Director General, IFPMA.

The Awards program is supported by Amref Health Africa, Forum Galien Afrique, IntraHealth International, Geneva Health Forum, Women in Global Health, Adams & Adams, Global Health Technologies Coalition, and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle. Media partners include Africa.com, ScienceActu, Maddyness, ANA, and REMAPSEN.

The second edition of the Award offers to winners: Funding totaling $90,000, a three-month business mentorship program from prominent business leaders, expert advice on how to foster and protect their innovation through Intellectual Property rights, media training, and press and event opportunities to present their innovations to a global audience, and access to a network of supporters and partners working across healthcare, technology, and media.

"Achieving universal health coverage by 2030 is crucial for fulfilling the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and realizing the fundamental human right to health. I am very thankful and supportive of such a program that significantly contributes to the achievement of our common goals through tangible and intangible support to African entrepreneurs," said Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director, of Neglected Tropical Disease at the World Health Organization and Jury Member of the second edition. 

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