Johannesburg, July 23, 2021 - The Pandemic Resilience Accelerator provides a tailored acceleration support to growth and mature stage African health-related businesses that are improving healthcare capacity and reducing reliance on external medical supply chains. This year's cohort is receiving support through context-specific advisory, introductions to funding sources, regulatory and trade facilitation and matching to strategic partners.

The Steering Committee of the African Union Development Agency's Pandemic Resilience Accelerator had the opportunity to meet on Monday 12th July 2021 with the first cohort of Home-Grown Solutions companies. The meeting offered an opportunity for participants to draw lessons from the first three months of the acceleration effort. During the virtual meeting, each Steering Committee member had the opportunity to have an in-depth discussion with two companies on topics such as status of primary care and informal urban centers, customer care during COVID-19 times, new market entry strategy, status of blood management in East African Countries or identifying funding partners.

Based on both prior interactions as well as these discussions with the first cohort, the Steering Committee members celebrate the team and Home-Grown Solutions companies on the initial successes whilst similarly suggesting further strengthening the support provided through leveraging the Steering Committee member organizational networks further as well as enabling additional peer-to-peer learnings, all of which aim to build on the current positive momentum.

We thank all participants for their engagement during this meeting and truly appreciate the time and dedication shown by the Home-Grown Solutions companies during the first three months of the programme. We continue to be confident in their ability to contribute towards resilience in the African healthcare sector.

-END-

We are actively growing our accelerator's network. If your organization is interested in engaging with these exemplary companies, by serving as advisors or providing direct support, or if you are a qualifying African home-grown solution, please contact us by reaching out to George Murumba, the accelerator project lead via GeorgeM@nepad.org and pandemicresilience.africa@gmail.com.

For more information, please consult our website: https://www.nepad.org/microsite/home-grown-solutions-hgs-accelerator-pandemic-resilience-africa

Meet the Accelerator's Steering Committee:

• Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (Chair): AUDA-NEPAD, Chief Executive Officer

• Mr. Ryuichi Kato: JICA, Vice President

• Prof. Aggrey Ambali: AUDA-NEPAD, Head of AU Development Fund

• Dr. Elizabeth Wala: Aga Khan Foundation, Global Advisor

• Dr Benjamin Djoudalbaye: Africa CDC, Head of Policy, Health Diplomacy & Communications

• Ms. Kanayo Awani: Afreximbank, Managing Director of Intra-African trade Initiative

• Mr. Carl Manlan: Ecobank Foundation, Chief Operating Officer

• Mr. Mathieu Lamiaux: Boston Consulting Group, Managing Director & Senior Partner

• Ms. Annick Gouba-Guibal: AGC, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Meet the Representants of the first cohort present in this event:

• Access Afya Inc.: Daphne Ngunjiri, Chief Executive Officer

• African Healthcare Network: Nikhil Pereira-Kamath, Co-founder & CEO; Priyanka Venkannagari, Sen. Director, Growth & Expansion; Nyokabi Kiarie, Chief People Officer

• Damu Sasa Systems Limited: Aaron Ogunde, Co-founder

• Mobile Scan Solutions Uganda: Innocent Menyo, Team Lead

• Revital Healthcare (EPZ) Limited: Krupali Shah, Technical Director; Harsh Mehta, Global Sales Director

MEDIA CONTACT

Ms Mwanja Ng’anjo

African Union Development Agency-NEPAD

+27 11 256 3582

Mwanjan@nepad.org