Africa Has Hit Its M-PESA Moment in Healthtech”—Dr. Ohanyido

Director-General of the West African Institute of Public Health, Dr. Francis Ohanyido has observed that Africa stands at the threshold of a health revolution, and it must not blink.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Human Rights Reporters Ghana ahead of the highly anticipated 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025), scheduled for October in Durban, South Africa.

Dr. Ohanyido hinted emphatically: “Africa has hit its M-PESA moment in healthtech, this is the point where we either harness digital innovation to transform our health systems permanently—or risk missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

His bold declaration comes at a time when African nations are exploring new strategies to achieve universal health coverage and build resilient, self-reliant health systems.

Dr. Ohanyido, who also serves as Co-Lead of the Digital Innovation and AI Track at CPHIA 2025, is one of the experts shaping the future of health policy and implementation across the continent.

The CPHIA 2025 conference, co-hosted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Government of South Africa, and Africa Bio, will gather policymakers, scientists, civil society, and health innovators from across the globe to align on a transformative African-led agenda.

Under the theme “Moving towards self-reliance to achieve universal health coverage and health security in Africa,” the gathering aims to move the continent from dependency to determination, from dialogue to delivery.

Dr. Ohanyido believes that time for passive collaboration has passed. “We’ve had enough conversations,” he said. “It’s time for what I call ‘collabo-action’—partnerships that deliver real outcomes, not just photo ops and press releases.”

He points to several examples already proving that African innovation is not hypothetical—it’s here.

Ghana’s Gold Keys initiative is leveraging digital tools to fight counterfeit drugs. Rwanda is setting the pace with a nationwide electronic medical record system. Morocco is investing heavily in next-generation digital health infrastructure.

According to him, these are not isolated experiments—they are signs that the continent is already rising.Yet, he warns, these successes are not enough to mask the structural barriers that still plague health systems across Africa.

Referencing a model from the West African Institute of Public Health, Dr. Ohanyido outlined what he called the “7 Ps” holding Africa back: Poor Political Will, Policy Gaps, Population Growth, Provider Shortages, Paucity of Investment, Patchy Technology Integration, and Poor Infrastructure.

“These challenges are interconnected and deeply rooted,” he admitted, “but this is the first time in history where we have the tools, the talent, and the technology to overcome them faster than ever before—if we act.”

His prescription is simple: invest in local solutions, scale innovations that work, and make policy choices that prioritize health sovereignty. Citing Kenya’s M-PESA platform as a model of African ingenuity, he believes the same revolutionary thinking can and must be applied to healthtech—using mobile tools, AI, telemedicine, and data-driven systems to close the gap between patients and care.

He also referenced South Africa’s partnership with the Medicines Patent Pool as a critical step toward local manufacturing of essential medicines—arguing that African countries must not only consume innovation, but lead it.

Dr. Ohanyido is also confident that sustainable financing is within reach. “I am an Afroptimist,” he said. “We can design blended funding models, leverage public-private partnerships, and mobilize domestic resources—but only if we align policy with ambition and implementation with urgency.”

The human side of the equation, he noted, must never be forgotten. He sees Africa’s young professionals as the heartbeat of a healthier future and calls on them to take their place as creators, not just consumers, of solutions. He reserved special recognition for journalists, calling them “the watchdogs of public health,” with the power to hold systems accountable and change the narrative on African health progress.

“Young minds armed with innovation, and journalists armed with truth, are the forces that will shape the Africa we want,” he said.

With CPHIA 2025 on the horizon, Dr. Ohanyido is clear: this conference must not become just another moment—it must be a movement. One where Africa reclaims its health narrative and dares to lead with its own voice, its own tools, and its own people.

 

Source:Joseph Wemakor