The first call for digital entrepreneurs living in Africa who are interested in working in the health sector has been made by the PATH-led project Digital Square, which is financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, and a group of other partners.
Regarding high-quality software, services, and content possibilities, Digital Square collaborates with innovators to expand their accessibility, flexibility, and maturity to meet the health demands of many nations.
Since its founding in 2016, it has secured more than US $100 million from 15 investors to catalyse a variety of investments in digital health. It collaborates with ministries of health all around the world to match adaptive, interoperable digital solutions with regional health requirements.
The Digital Health Ecosystem project (DHE), with initial financing from the Bayer Foundation and USAID, will assist the sustainability and growth of digital tools for health by altering how they are developed, implemented, and scaled. This chance will offer a platform for developing an international network of independent teams working together to build on a single open-source platform. As a result, programmers will have a tried-and-true, financially sound digital base for their apps.
The initiative aims to link regional initiatives with financial support, technical resources, and chances for scaling for creative business owners.
“We want to strengthen our engagement with countries by working closely with local actors to advocate the adoption and use of global goods. We are looking forward to discovering local innovations that meet an unmet global health need and, through our global goods community, work with local organisations to support them on their journey to scale,” said Carl Fourie, deputy director of global goods at Digital Square.
Innovative African startups, SMBs, for-profit and nonprofit organisations, and lone social entrepreneurs are welcome to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in response to the invitation. Successful candidates will be given a chance to join a list for the entire continent that will be sent to global funders, investors, and implementing partners, as well as get notifications of chances for outside support.
A portion of the responders will be allowed to participate in an RFA that DHE supports. The financial funding needed to develop, launch, and implement scalable digital health solutions will be made available to request for application round winners. This funding will be provided at first through a grants programme and eventually through a collaboration with already-existing donor programmes and government co-investment.
The submission deadline is Friday, August 12, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. By September 30, applicants will have a response.
