Happy Tech Thursday, July 10, 2025! The world is talking about health, and in particular, Africa’s pressing need for innovative solutions. A critical report is highlighting a stark reality: While the continent shoulders a staggering 25% of the global disease burden, it only receives a tiny fraction – just 1% – of global healthcare spending. It’s time to turn the tide.
The call to action came loud and clear at the launch of the HealthTech Unicorns Report 2.0 in Lagos, themed “From Insights to Impact: Building Africa’s Next HealthTech Unicorn.” This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about real people facing real challenges.
Dr. Ola Brown, Managing Partner of HealthCap Africa, knows this firsthand. With experience in emergency medicine and venture capital, she emphasized the urgent need for affordable, tech-driven healthcare models. She painted a vivid picture: ballooning global health costs are making access difficult for everyone. She noted that medical expenses can be the biggest contributor to bankruptcy worldwide and that innovation is key in reducing costs and expanding accessibility.
And the numbers? They speak for themselves. Africa accounts for nearly 70% of global maternal deaths. To combat this, Dr. Brown is urging investors to support African-led, tech-enabled solutions, built for Africa and beyond. With over a billion smartphones in the continent, she pointed out the huge potential for the kind of digital health transformation that we’ve seen with mobile money. Clinical trials in Africa are significantly less expensive than in the US, making the continent a highly competitive place for pharmaceutical innovation.
Tomi Davies, Collaborator-in-Chief of TVCLabs, echoed the call for strategic funding, highlighting the financial advantage of building billion-dollar companies on the continent. He also drove home the urgency of investing now, pointing to the fact that Africa will house nearly four billion people by 2100.
In a nutshell, the report urges us to think big, embrace innovation, and invest in solutions born from within Africa. The future of global health may very well depend on it.
