African Women in Digital Health announce final selection for Mentorship program

24 October 2024 (Dakar, Senegal) - The African Women in Digital Health movement, an initiative borne out of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Digital Transformation Strategy in collaboration with Speak Up Africa, is proud to announce the final selection of mentees for its Mentorship program.

These exceptional women were selected based on the strength of their contribution to digital transformation as a tool for enhancing healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations. The winning mentees are (in alphabetical order):
Estelle Kelly Nguefang Ketchejeu, Founding member, Ophthalmology Practice and Research Observatory (OphPRO) - Cameroon
Inas Abdelwahed, Co-founder, Otida - Egypt
Matimba Molly Chilala, Founder, Let's Walk - Zambia
Terry Mochire, Co-founder, IntelliSOFT Consulting Ltd - Kenya
Dr. Victory Ifeanyichukwu Uzoma, Co-founder, MedVax Health - Nigeria

The selection process was highly competitive, drawing applications from across the continent. The final mentees were identified after reviewing 96 applications across 26 countries, which were narrowed down to 15 finalists before the final selection was made. These mentees represent each of Africa's regions: North (Egypt), East (Kenya), South (Zambia), West (Nigeria), and Central Africa (Cameroon).

Anicia Santos, Senior Solutions Architect at Prevent Epidemics at Resolve to Save Lives, a program partner, explains, "Through this selection process, we have seen incredibly thoughtful patient-centred solutions, addressing not only the health challenge but also the market and resource availability challenges. These solutions have demonstrated promising results, and the mentorship program will accelerate realizing their potential impact."

Their digital health solutions are overcoming various access challenges throughout the continent. These include widening access to medical professionals, medicines, and vaccines, providing specialized physiotherapy services for disabled children, and monitoring vital health data for those suffering from sickle cell disease.

In congratulating the mentees, Africa CDC Digital Strategy Advisor Cyril Seck, a program partner, noted, "We continue to see inspiring examples of women's meaningful engagement, representation and leadership in digital health. The AWiDH movement is here to support the adoption of digital healthcare technologies spearheaded by women. Through initiatives like the Mentorship Program, it focuses on enhancing their business acumen and leadership capabilities."

The five mentees will attend a retreat in Mombasa, Kenya, also known as the "Silicon Savannah." During the retreat, they will participate in training seminars, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring sessions with their mentors.

AWiDH is working to pioneer the adoption of digital healthcare technologies spearheaded by women. The mentorship program seeks to increase the representation and leadership of African women in the digital health space by matching mentees with experienced mentors who have significant experience in the healthcare sector, from financing to technology to policy.

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Press Contact
Uzoamaka Madu
AWiDH@whatsinitforafrica.com

Speak Up Africa
18 Ave. Léopold Sedar Senghor 8e étage BP 3837
Dakar, Sénégal

About African Women in Digital
The AWiDH movement is a collaborative community platform of like-minded digital health advocates working to address the gender gap in digital health through a multidisciplinary platform. We work together on policy actions, capacity strengthening and skills development initiatives to increase the representation and leadership of African women in digital health. By bringing together stakeholders from health, policy, gender and technology sectors, we aim to ensure effective collaboration and coordination for women's meaningful engagement, representation and leadership in digital health.
The mentorship program enhances African women's skills and leadership potential in the digital health sector. By providing a structured mentorship experience, AWiDH aims to equip our mentees with essential skills in leadership, communications, gender mainstreaming, business, and marketing.
Mentees are paired with highly experienced mentors from diverse sectors such as healthcare finance, technology, and policy. This program strengthens their technical and business acumen and fosters a support network, enabling them to scale their innovations and contribute meaningfully to Africa's healthcare landscape.
This strategic approach supports AWiDH's mission to close the digital gender gap and ensure women have the resources, skills, and opportunities to transform health systems in Africa.
In line with the Africa CDC Digital Transformation Strategy, which outlines the importance of digital transformation as a tool for enhancing healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes globally, AWiDH is working to pioneer the adoption of digital healthcare technologies spearheaded by women.

The Working group
As part of the Africa CDC Digital Transformation Strategy, Speak Up Africa, in collaboration with various partners, co-chairs the African Women in Digital Health (AWiDH) initiative.

A dedicated working group of partner organizations provides advisory support for the project's implementation, ensuring all outputs are validated and aligned with the stakeholders' collective vision and goals.

ECOWAS Gender Development Center (EGDC), I-DAIR, IMMAP, Intra Health, John Snow Inc SI/CHISU, PATH, OpenHIE (OpenHealth Information Exchange), Mastercard Foundation, Novartis, PSI, Quala, Regenstrief, Resolve to Save the lives, Rwanda Events, Ministry of Health and Social Action, Senegal, Speak Up Africa, The Common Project, The Global Fund, Transform Health, UNICEF, USAID, Village Reach, Neosave Technologies Limited, Umubyeyi Elevate, IFPMSA.

Our partners lead, fund and implement the mentorship program.
Funding partner: Resolve to Save Lives
Implementing Partner: Speak Up Africa
Supporters: Health Tech Hub, Africa.com, REMAPSEN, PATH

This release was published on openPR.