InnovateHealth Africa Wins Micro-Grant to Advance Its AI-Powered Mpox Diagnostic Solution

We are pleased to announce that InnovateHealth Africa (IHA) has received a micro-grant to accelerate the development of its AI-powered Mpox Diagnostic Solution, following its recognition as thw Third Place Winner at the prestigious Galien Africa Forum 2025 held in Dakar, Senegal.

Now in its latest edition, the Galien Africa Forum has become one of the continent’s leading platforms celebrating excellence and innovation in health. The 2025 edition, held from October 27th–29th, featured a Youth Forum on Health Innovation, spotlighting the next generation of African changemakers reimagining the future of healthcare through technology, creativity, and research.

As part of this youth competition, six exceptional young innovators from across Africa presented their groundbreaking solutions before a distinguished jury of global health experts, competing for the Galien Prize for Young Innovators — an award that recognizes transformative, homegrown solutions capable of reshaping the continent’s health systems.

Among these innovators, InnovateHealth Africa , a Nigerian based Digital Health Organization stood out with its AI-powered Mpox Diagnostic Solution — a mobile, data-driven tool that analyzes lesion images to detect and classify suspected mpox cases in real time. The innovation enables rapid, evidence-based frontline decision-making, particularly in low-resource settings, where early detection is crucial to preventing disease spread.

This recognition comes as a strong validation of the groundbreaking work being done by IHA to harness digital innovation for epidemic preparedness and response across Africa.

For over a year, IHA, through its Open Innovation Lab, has been developing a digitally enabled solution designed to strengthen regional and continental responses to the resurgence of mpox in Africa. The mobile AI-powered tool analyses lesion images to rapidly detect and classify suspected mpox cases at the point of care,supporting faster, evidence-based decisions for frontline health workers in resource-limited settings.

Over the past 12 months, the solution has undergone rigorous research, design, and validation, drawing expertise from IHA’s R&D and Design & Innovation teams, alongside external consultants in epidemiology, disease surveillance, and digital health. The project has been showcased at several scientific and public health conferences across Africa, earning growing recognition for its potential impact.

“This milestone affirms that we are building a solution capable of transforming how mpox and other similar conditions are detected and prevented,” said Mr Oluwatobi Adewumi, Executive Director of InnovateHealth Africa. “It brings us closer to an Africa where equitable, digitally enabled healthcare is not just a vision, but a reality.”

The project also acknowledges the continued technical guidance and support from the Science and Innovation Directorate of the Africa CDC towards the refinement and validation of the tool and the IHA Team members (Chiko Liu, Ismail Tijjani, Joseph Ajibodu, Adeola Abdulramon, Umar Elbelel, Oluwagbemisola Olukogbe, BenFekix Omondi) , IHA consultants (David Okello, Sisay Molla) and advisors (Dr. Raphael Akangbe, Izhar Mahjoub) who have directly contributed to this project.

Looking ahead, InnovateHealth Africa aims to scale the solution across the continent, placing it in the hands of 100,000 frontline health professionals across 1,000+ healthcare facilities in high-risk regions,ultimately targeting a 60% reduction in mpox transmission within 24 months.

InnovateHealth Africa invites partners, donors, institutions, and stakeholders to join in advancing this mission toward a safer and healthier Africa.

For inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact:
[email protected]
www.innovatehealth.africa