Breakout 2
|
Saturday
|
11:30 am
Aldrich 108

Sustainable Healthcare Delivery Models in Africa: Challenges, Solutions and Pathways Forward

Africa’s healthcare systems face critical challenges: reducing reliance on foreign aid, addressing the shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and expanding access to care. This panel explores practical and innovative, sustainable models to transform healthcare delivery across the continent. This session will bring together investors, operators, and academics to explore

the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the adoption of technology in Africa. Panelists will discuss strengthening pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystems through local production, technology transfer, and regional collaboration. They will also highlight the role of private capital in scaling sustainable solutions and share insights on leveraging pharmacies as primary care providers to address NCDs. Together, they’ll outline actionable strategies for building resilient healthcare systems, emphasizing local innovation, public-private partnerships, and regional cooperation. This session offers a roadmap for addressing Africa’s evolving healthcare needs.

Sustainable Healthcare Delivery Models in Africa: Challenges, Solutions and Pathways Forward

Africa’s healthcare systems face critical challenges: reducing reliance on foreign aid, addressing the shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and expanding access to care. This panel explores practical and innovative, sustainable models to transform healthcare delivery across the continent. This session will bring together investors, operators, and academics to explore

the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the adoption of technology in Africa. Panelists will discuss strengthening pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystems through local production, technology transfer, and regional collaboration. They will also highlight the role of private capital in scaling sustainable solutions and share insights on leveraging pharmacies as primary care providers to address NCDs. Together, they’ll outline actionable strategies for building resilient healthcare systems, emphasizing local innovation, public-private partnerships, and regional cooperation. This session offers a roadmap for addressing Africa’s evolving healthcare needs.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 11:30 AM
Aldrich 108

Other Sessions

More Info
Breakout 2
Saturday
|
9:00 am
Aldrich 112
Building a Unified Music Industry for Global Impact
This session explores how African media and music shape global narratives, drive business, and bridge cultures.
More Info

Building a Unified Music Industry for Global Impact

This session will delve into the transformative role of media and entertainment in shaping Africa’s narrative on the global stage. Focusing on the intersection of culture, innovation, and business, the discussion will explore how African creatives and entrepreneurs are redefining the continent’s image through music. The speakers will share insights on building successful music ventures, bridging local stories with global audiences, and navigating challenges in production, distribution, and representation. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on how the African media and music industries can thrive in a competitive global economy

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 9:00 AM
Aldrich 112
More Info
Breakout 3
Saturday
|
3:45 pm
Aldrich 108
Unlocking Africa’s Agricultural Potential for Regional and Global Markets
This panel explores value addition, branding, and investment to transform Africa’s agricultural sector and boost growth.
More Info

Unlocking Africa’s Agricultural Potential for Regional and Global Markets

Africa’s agricultural sector remains heavily dependent on raw commodity exports, with value addition accounting for just 10-15% of total exports. This limits the continent’s ability to fully benefit from global and regional markets for processed goods. Despite decades of efforts to improve subsistence farming, food systems and livelihoods have seen little transformation.

This panel will explore how demand-driven value addition, branding, and storytelling—supported by the right investments and ecosystem partnerships—can drive sector growth, enhance food security, and unlock economic potential. Panelists from across the value chain will discuss key gaps, opportunities, and actionable pathways to create and capture value in Africa’s agricultural ecosystem.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 3:45 PM
Aldrich 108
More Info
Lunches
Saturday
|
12:45 pm
Batten Hives 304
Nala: Building Africa’s Next Fintech Titan
Join Benjamin Fernandes for a raw, behind-the-scenes look at building and scaling a fintech in Africa.
More Info

Nala: Building Africa’s Next Fintech Titan

Building a fintech company that reshapes how money moves across Africa—and beyond—is no easy feat. The challenges go far beyond the headlines. Few succeed in this market. To scale, you need more than a great idea—you need resilience, sacrifice, and relentless determination.

How do you convince Silicon Valley investors to back an African startup? What does it take to challenge the status quo in the global financial system? And what are the real, behind-the-scenes battles of building something that truly lasts?

Benjamin Fernandes, Founder & CEO of NALA, has lived it all—and he’s here to tell the unfiltered truth.

Born and raised in Tanzania, Benjamin first made his mark as a national television personality. But he had bigger ambitions. Earning scholarships that took him to the U.S., he became the youngest African ever admitted to the MBA program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Yet instead of climbing the corporate ladder or staying in Silicon Valley, he took the harder road—building a company that would transform how Africans send and receive money across borders.

That company is NALA. What started as a simple remittance app has grown into one of Africa’s most ambitious fintech ventures. Today, NALA powers seamless, low-cost payments from the U.S. and Europe into Africa, cutting through the inefficiencies of the global financial system. Now, with a $40 million oversubscribed Series A funding round, and a Forbes cover story to match, NALA is expanding beyond remittances—building its own payment rails, launching a B2B platform (Rafiki), and setting its sights on global markets, including Asia and Latin America.

In this rare, behind-the-scenes conversation, Benjamin will pull back the curtain on the real journey—the wins, the losses, the breakthroughs, and the breakdowns. No filters. No fluff. Just the raw truth of what it takes to build and scale a fintech company in Africa.

If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or believer in bold ideas and Africa’s unstoppable rise, you won’t want to miss this.

Come for the insights. Stay for the inspiration.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 12:45 PM
Batten Hives 304