The African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has empowered no fewer than 30 young health professionals across the continent to identify and address public health challenges in their communities.
Dr. Chrys Promesse Kaniki, Senior Technical Officer for Strategic Programmes and Youth Division Lead at Africa CDC, spoke with Tribune Newspaper at the conclusion of the Bingwa PLUS Y-Health Incubation Programme Pitching event in Abuja. He explained that the program’s goal is to support young people in recognizing public health challenges, developing innovative solutions, and pitching their ideas to a panel of judges.
The event’s theme, “Accelerating Youth-Led Health Innovations in Africa,” is part of the Bingwa PLUS Y-Health Incubation Programme, designed to actively engage youth as contributors to public health initiatives.
Building on the success of the earlier Bingwa initiative—which focused on engaging young people in COVID-19 response efforts—the current program has broadened its scope to include areas such as mental health, digital health, and non-communicable diseases.
Kaniki revealed that the program received nearly 2,000 applications from young people across Africa, emphasizing that youth are critical to tackling public health challenges, given that they constitute a significant portion of the continent’s population.
“Young people live in the community, enabling them to identify real problems and collaborate with us to co-create solutions,” he said. “We view young people as a vital asset for Africa. We must implement what we call the new public health order at Africa CDC to safeguard our population’s health.”
Rotimi Olawale, Executive Director of YouthhubAfrica, also praised the program’s success, describing it as “very exciting.” He explained, “Our goal is for young people to contribute solutions to Africa’s health challenges, sharing their innovations and ideas to improve health services in their communities.”
Olawale noted the program received over 2,000 applications from 40 countries, with the 30 selected young professionals presenting “very interesting” ideas. The program aims to provide grants to some participants to implement their ideas and foster partnerships with organizations and governments.
Metasebiya Ayele Mamo, Youth Engagement Advisor at GIZ, African Union, highlighted the importance of investing in youth-led ideas. She said, “Through our involvement with Africa CDC’s youth program, we’ve seen that young people need not only capacity building but also financial backing for their ideas.”
“We want to demonstrate that investing in young people’s ideas works—this is a proof of concept to maximize and amplify impact,” Mamo added. She emphasized the value of partnerships and financial investment, stating, “These young people are champions. We are excited about the future and plan to increase our investments.”