The HealthTech Marketplace to solve challenges of millions lack basic healthcare across Africa

The much anticipated Africa HealthTech Marketplace, co-created by the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) and the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), officially launched on this Tuesday 29th October 2024 at the Africa HealthTech Summit in Kigali-Rwanda. The event was a key highlight of the Summit, showcasing a pivotal new digital platform designed to scale access to trusted health innovations across the continent.

Today, 600 million people across Africa lack access to basic healthcare services – a crisis that has far-reaching implications for public health, economic development, and social equity. This shortfall is driven by a combination of factors, including severe shortages in healthcare
infrastructure, a lack of trained medical professionals, and vast rural populations that remain disconnected from essential health services.
In many African countries, there are fewer than two healthcare workers per 1,000 people, far below global recommendations – leaving millions without easy access to a doctor, nurse, or clinic.

This gap is not just a healthcare issue; it affects every aspect of life, contributing to
higher mortality rates, poor disease management, and a lack of preventive care for conditions like malaria, tuberculosis, and maternal health.

These challenges are further exacerbated by underfunded public health systems and fragmented solutions that often fail to address the core needs of the population.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a continental autonomous health agency of the African Union established to support public health initiatives of Member States and strengthen the capacity of their public health institutions to detect, prevent, control
and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats. Africa CDC supports African Union Member States in providing coordinated and integrated solutions to the inadequacies in their public health infrastructure, human resource capacity, disease surveillance, laboratory
diagnostics, and preparedness and response to health emergencies and disasters.

“The Africa HealthTech Marketplace is a game-changer for healthcare in Africa. By offering a platform that showcases targeted, scalable solutions, we are empowering health providers across the continent to access the tools they need to improve health outcomes.”
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC in event.

“Our vision is to bridge the gap between innovation and implementation. The Africa HealthTech Marketplace will not only enhance visibility for African innovators but also ensure that healthcare providers can easily find and integrate trusted digital health solutions.” Diana Sang, Africa Director, Digital Impact Alliance in event.

As a trusted thought leader and ecosystem builder, the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) connects governments, decision-makers, and development actors with the essential tools, knowledge and insights needed for effective digital transformation. Their work emphasizes the importance of design, implementation, and governance to help funders and policy makers to prioritize good digital public infrastructure (DPI), as well as essential safeguards. These efforts are crucial in advancing a future where all people can benefit from the power of data and digital technology.

The new Africa HealthTech Marketplace is an essential digital platform, designed to address a critical gap in Africa’s healthcare ecosystem. The platform curates digital health solutions developed by African innovators to simplify the process for healthcare providers, governments,
and development organizations to discover, evaluate, and procure the digital tools they need.

Photo: Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL)