• Highlighting the importance of cultural context and local leadership in the success of digital health solutions.
• eHealth Africa’s innovative solutions have vaccinated over 5.8 million people, revolutionising immunisation programs in Nigeria.

eHealth Africa (eHA) has urged governments and stakeholders to explore the critical factors beyond technology that are essential for deployment of digital health solutions for long-term success of public health systems across Africa. Data-backed interventions will help streamline operations and enable formulation of interventions that appreciate the cultural norms when addressing the immediate needs of different communities within the region.

Data-backed interventions will help streamline operations and enable formulation of interventions that appreciate the cultural norms when addressing the immediate needs of different communities within the region.

Speaking during a panel session at the Global Digital Health Forum 2024 in Nairobi, Atef Fawaz, eHealth Africa’s executive director, emphasised the importance of integrating technology with local cultures and addressing community-specific needs.

“Understanding the unique healthcare challenges in countries like Nigeria allows us to deploy tech solutions that truly make an impact,” said Fawaz.

He observed that eHealth Africa successfully delivered over 5.8 million vaccines (5,801,209) to 351 primary healthcare facilities across states in Nigeria that  was made possible through the deployment of the innovative Logistics Management Information System (LoMIS) application.

“The system significantly improved the availability of vaccines for Routine Immunisation (RI), ensuring timely and efficient distribution while eliminating stockouts at primary healthcare facilities. This intervention highlights our commitment to strengthening immunisation programs and enhancing healthcare delivery at the grassroots level,” he said. 

In his contribution, Abdulhamid Yahaya, deputy director, Global Health Informatics highlighted the need to understand the local cultural, social, and regulatory landscape so as to build solutions that are designed with local realities in mind.

eHealth Africa Board Member Micheline Ntiru said using technology provided stakeholders among them  global health leaders, tech innovators, and development experts as well as local communities a platform to create the right solutions that work within the constraints of each community, and with the support of local leadership.

For instance, local health workers have been using mobile-based reminder systems to improve compliance and overall health outcomes while some local immunisation centres have been  sending SMS reminders to parents as well as to provide educational messages about the diseases they protect against.

Mobile phones, now available in nearly 80 percent of African homes, can also be used during emergencies to dispatch mass announcements about satellite clinic locations and schedules.

According to the World Health Organisation, increased use of the Internet, email, social networking sites and availability of mobile phones facilitates deployment of eHealth solutions, applications and services towards  improvement of national health systems.  Use of technological eHealth solutions could also be used to encourage positive lifestyle changes to prevent and control common diseases.

The panel moderated by Ota Akhigbe, Director of Partnerships and Programs comprised of  Ms Ntiru (Delta40 ventures), Mr Yahaya (eHealth Africa), Chief Impact Officer at Tiko – Serah Malaba, Dr Olamide Okulaja (Maisha Meds), Audere Chief Executive Officer Dr Dino Rech, and  Rachel Alladian from Jacaranda.

They discussed how strategic partnerships, regulatory compliance, and a deep understanding of local contexts are crucial for driving digital health innovations that can succeed in diverse regions.

The GDHF forum was attended by health scholars, researchers, representatives from the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Malaysia, Somalia and Sri Lanka as well as representatives from the World Bank, medicine manufacturers, technology vendors, UN agencies among others.

The exclusive cocktail event recognised that a successful adolescent health ecosystem requires integrating government and private-sector resources to build healthcare and education systems that serve  youth effectively to meet current needs and scale sustainably for future generations.

Opening the evening, Professor Myriam Sidibe, founder and chief mission officer at Brands on a Mission, set the tone with a powerful call to action and highlighted the critical role the private sector can play in addressing societal challenges.

“Adolescents are at the heart of Nigeria’s future,” she asserted. “Mobilising resources and innovative solutions to meet their needs today will lay the groundwork for a healthier, more empowered generation.”

With Nigeria’s youth under 35 making up a remarkable 70% of the population, the evening’s discussions centred on how cross-sector collaboration and digital innovation can empower adolescent girls and boys to access the care, resources, and support they need to thrive.

Atef Fawaz, executive director of eHealth Africa, Nigeria, emphasised the critical importance of action:

“Investing in the health of Nigeria’s adolescent girls is not simply beneficial—it’s essential. With 43 percent married before 18 and a significant number becoming mothers during their teenage years, these young women face heightened health risks. If we prioritise their health, we empower them to make informed choices, ensuring a healthier future for themselves and the nation.”

Dr Karen Austrian, director of the GIRL Center at Population Council highlighted the specific disparities faced by adolescent girls, particularly across wealth quintiles.

“The challenge lies in the silos within the health, education, and youth sectors,” Dr. Austrian noted. “We have been successful in  working with analog systems to work multi-dimensionally, and to reach the most marginalised. If we ask the similar critical questions in how to do that in the digital space, I believe we can successfully find scalable solutions. Nigeria is a great place to lead the charge.”

Dr Josephine Ojiambo, former Ambassador to UN emphasised the transformative potential of digital solutions, stating, “Digital health represents the future of health service delivery, offering transformative potential to bridge existing gaps in adolescent healthcare.”

Njide Ndili, country director PharmAccess continued.

“Few digital initiatives allow young people to meaningfully shape their health futures and co-design digital-first health systems that respond to their needs,” she said. “The Digital Transformations for Health Lab is collaborating with youth across 5 continents to design a digital first health system which addresses gaps in the current system, leveraging the fact that these young are growing up in a digital world.  African youth have to be enfranchised as Digital Health Citizens ensuring they adopt digital health solutions to address their health needs.”

Serah Malaba, chief impact officer at Tiko, and Catherine Siebherhagen, Director of Implementation at Reach Digital Health, shared their innovative approaches, describing how they’ve successfully created digital tools and platforms to reach adolescents and young women, drive demand for services, and build meaningful connections.

The exclusive cocktail event and collaborative dialogue that was co-hosted by eHealth Africa and Brands on a Mission (BOAM) united leading voices from public health, the private sector, and advocacy, including Population Council, Reach Digital Health, Tiko, and Pharmaccess to reimagine adolescent health support systems for Nigeria’s young population.