Stakeholders Call For Sustainable Financing, Innovation In Health Sector

eHealth Africa, along with leaders in digital health, youth innovators, and technical experts, has called for systemic, sustainable financing and collaborations in addressing health challenges, correcting misinformation, and empowering adolescents to make healthier decisions independently.

This vital call was made at the Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF) in Kenya, during a Salon Session hosted by eHealth Africa with Population Services International, Reach Digital Health, the Bay Area Global Alliance, and the Africa Hub for Innovation and Development.

The multi-stakeholder session titled, “Digital Interfaces to spur behaviour change in health among adolescents in Kenya and Beyond”, provides a platform for behavioural science, cultural storytelling, and digital technology to create engaging health solutions through the platforms young people already use; mobile phones, chatbots, and others.
During the session, speakers emphasised the need for governments, innovators, youth leaders, and experts to quickly align with the rapid advancement of digital and emerging AI solutions. They reiterated that these tools must be culturally resonant, available across languages, and accessible even in low-connectivity settings to ensure true inclusion.

Africa is no doubt at a demographic turning point, with young people forming the largest population group on the continent. Thus, the need to address digital gaps, especially amongst adolescents and young people, became critical at this juncture. In this vein, Industry leaders and experts called for young people to be recognised not merely as beneficiaries but as key architects of Africa’s digital health future, and to be meaningfully involved at every stage from design to implementation.

According to Atef Fawaz, Executive Director of eHealth Africa, as digital access expands and many youths now own a phone or a combination of devices such as tablets and laptops, this is the right moment to push for that behavioural change. He said “It’s an opportunity to leverage technology to address health barriers, correct misinformation, and empower adolescents to make healthier decisions independently.”

“We firmly believe that progress is driven through collaboration and co-creation, especially with international and local organisations and, most importantly, with young people.” He further said, “We encourage investment in digital literacy for youth, supporting local developers, and enabling communities to drive their own content and innovation rather than importing external models”.

In a similar vein, Ota Akhigbe, Director of Partnerships and Programmes, said this conversation aligns directly with their strategy at eHealth Africa, which centres on using digital innovation to address real community challenges, especially for adolescents. According to Ota, “They allow us to leverage digital tools that meet adolescents where they already are: on their phones and online”. She said, eHealth Africa remains committed to scalable, data-driven solutions that strengthen local health ecosystems and support healthier futures.

Partners also emphasise that, in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is essential to establish all necessary structures to transition from potential to reality. According to Carlos Yerena, Director of Partnerships and Growth, Reach Digital Health, AI holds tremendous potential. Still, it is equally important to focus on the foundational elements required to realise this potential in Sub-Saharan Africa. He said, “For AI to move from promise to practice, it must be built on sustainable, well-connected systems and designed around clear, context-specific requirements”. As Carlos emphasised, “We must ensure that AI is applied to real use cases that genuinely address the needs of young people.”

Another co-host, Lilian Gikandi, Senior Communications Manager, Shujaaz, said, “This vital session provided a platform to examine how digital interfaces are influencing behavioural change, particularly among adolescent girls in Africa.” Speaking on the progress made so far, Lilian said, “In Kenya, we reached 60% of 16–24-year-olds by using media that our audience trusts, and this has been truly barrier-breaking.”

In her own remark, Dr. Christabel Gero, Postdoctoral Fellow, GIRL Fellow, Population Council explained the framework used to address the challenges faced by adolescent girls in navigating digital spaces while highlighting evidence-based approaches that promote safe, inclusive, and empowering digital engagement.

eHealth Africa also hosted track sessions on climate change resilience, the urgent need to integrate renewable energy into primary healthcare systems, and the use of digital tools for more efficient planning of vaccination campaigns. Through these engagements and its ongoing partnerships, eHealth Africa reaffirmed its commitment to advancing innovative, youth-centred, and climate-resilient digital health solutions with the potential to strengthen health systems, empower communities, and shape a healthier future for the continent.