The WHO Innovation Challenge received a total of 2 471 applications in just four weeks from 77 countries – 44 countries in Africa. A panel of independent evaluators assessed and profiled the innovations in terms of the potential for making impact as well as ability to be scaled up in a sustainable way. More than a third of the submissions came from women. 

“The extent of response from the Innovation Challenge affirms the enthusiasm, especially among young people, to make a difference and contribute to the health care system on the continent. Health innovators have found a new home at WHO, where their innovative ideas will be supported in partnership with our network of stakeholders,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

In addition to showcasing the 30 best-profiled innovations during the three-day WHO Africa Health Forum in Cabo Verde, other innovations that were submitted will be exhibited on a dynamic virtual marketplace platform currently under development. When fully operational, the platform will connect diverse stakeholders, ranging from government ministry officials and health experts to academics, business angels and investors to support further development and the scaling up of these ideas. 

Among all the applications received, 639 made it through to the evaluation phase. This is a reflection of the challenges that innovators face in making progress from ideas to development and eventual broad-based application of their solutions. Investments in the innovation ecosystem that are complemented by innovation-friendly policies remain critical for further encouraging and supporting development of innovative solutions to solve Africa’s health challenges. The top 30 health-oriented innovations selected are:

  

  

Full name and title	Nationality	Gender	Solution Name
Denis Lee Oguzu	Uganda	Male	National Ambulance Service
Dr. Doris Jema Onyeador	Nigeria	Female	Maldor Gift of Sight
Dr. Ebinabo Ofrey	Nigeria	Male	GeroCare
Louis Roux	South Africa	Male	Ultra Low-Cost Rapid Diagnostic Test Production
Hans-Eddy GBOSSA	Benin	Male	Belle Imagerie
Geoffrey Andrew	Kenya	Male	Smart Paper Technology on Improving MCH Services
Morenike Fajemisin	Nigeria	Female	WHISPA mHealth App
Franck Verzefé	Cameroon	Male
Dr. Misaki Wayengera	Uganda	Male	Pan-Filovirus Rapid Diagnostic Test
Dr. Ime Asangansi	Nigeria	Male	Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) Data Collection Platform
Dr. Frida Njogu-Ndongwe	Kenya	Female	Afyakit
Laud Anthony Basing	Ghana	Male	Rapid Molecular Test for Yaws
Dr. Charles Immanuel Akhmien	Nigeria	Male	myPaddi
Dr. Gasana Joel	Rwanda	Male	Companionapp
Gaspard Datondji	Benin	Male	Heatlh Manager
Chales Onu	Nigeria	male	Ubenwa
Dr. Kabamba Alexandre	Angola	Male	Design of a Point of Care HIV/TB multiplex Diagnostic Assay
Dr. Ime Asangansi	Nigeria	Male	Multi-Source Data Analytics and Triangulation Dashboard
Wasswa William	Uganda	Male	PapES
Gérard Niyondiko	Burundi	Male	MAÏA
Dr. Ashifi Gogo	Ghana	Male	Sproxil: Empowering patients to beat fake drugs
Professor Eunice Kamaara	Kenya	Female	African Character Initiation Programme (ACIP)
Jacqueline Rogers	South Africa	Female	My Pregnancy Journey
Jennifer Rubli	Canada	Female	The Twende Initiative
Dr. Integrity Mchechesi	Zimbabwe	Male	Afrimom
Immanuel Hango	Namibia	Male	Chlorine Production Using Solar Energy
Professor Jo Wilmshurst	United Kingdom	Female	Building a Paediatric Workforce for Africa in Africa
Joost Van Engen	Netherlands	Male	Healthy Entrepreneurs
Ephrem Bekele Woldeyesus	Ethiopia	Male	Integrated Mental Wellness Programme
Dr. Imodoye Abioro	Nigeria	Male	Bimi Online for Africa
Twambilile Phanga	Malawi	Female	Youth Friendly Health Service