PHN in $1m health innovation push to save 1m lives

Nigeria’s healthcare space is set to witness a landmark investment as the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, a public-private coalition aimed at mobilising Nigeria ‘s private sector to improve health outcomes, unveils a $1 million Health Innovation Challenge (HIC).

This initiative, which is the first of its kind in Africa, is geared towards enabling Nigeria accelerate progress in achieving health MDGs, a situation that African countries such as Malawi have achieved in their health related MDGs of improving infant and maternal health by 2015.

The HIC, which will be launched on December 5th, 2014 by leading private sector business leaders in Nigeria, including Herbert Wigwe (CEO, Access Bank and chair of the innovation challenge), Aliko Dangote and Jim Ovia , is aimed at identifying and supporting promising innovative models to improve healthcare service delivery in Nigeria’s complex and dynamic healthcare system.

Supported innovations include new technologies, unlocking markets and process innovations targeted at addressing evidence-based healthcare challenges that respond to various geopolitical and socio-cultural peculiarities in Nigeria.

Herbert Wigwe, CEO Access Bank and Chair of PHN’s Health Innovation Steering committee, disclosed that the Health Innovation Challenge, will inspire a wave of private sector-driven innovation to enable Nigeria achieve its Saving One Million Lives target.

With Nigeria losing one million lives of women and children annually, as a result of preventable causes such as malaria, malnutrition, lack of access to life-saving commodities, suboptimal supply chain systems, amongst others, Jim Ovia, chairman Zenith Bank and co-chair of the Alliance, pointed out that the landmark HIC signals the emergence of a compelling new model to attract and leverage private sector capabilities to foster the realisation of pragmatic and scaleable solutions to Nigeria’s healthcare challenges.

Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq,CEO, PHN, stated that investments for winning innovative pitches will be disbursed through a result-based approach, given the paradigm shift in the health sector from a focus on inputs, to one additionally focused on outcomes and the number of lives saved.

“The HIC will be open to individual innovators, group of individuals, corporate organisations, NGOs, academic institutions etc many of whom are players in the Nigerian Health Innovation Market (NHIM) place. A virtual innovation hub has been developed to serve as a convergence platform for all actors of the health innovation ecosystem,”

The Health Innovation Challenge will be conducted in three phases. Details of the application process and cash investment for winners of the Innovation Challenge will be disclosed during the inaugural Health Innovators Community of Practice meeting convened by the PHN.