Collaborating to Design Better. African Youth and Health Tech Innovation.
For many years political and social exclusion of young people worldwide have given way to debates on the disregard for their voices in the creation of policies and programs.
However, we are glad this is beginning to change as more young people are getting their voice heard local, national and international scene.
According to a World Youth report by the United Nation 2018, the success of the Sustainable Development Goals hinges on young people.
This has now called upon global health players to hold their hands up to this fact that they cannot do it alone.
Youth participation is not just good practice, nor a marketing stunt, but it is a necessity for sustainable development.
Africa, the world’s youngest continent has not been able to avoid the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a continent where almost 62 percent of people are under the age of 25, the economy is expected to lose tens of billions of dollars.
Today, technology is crucial to the provision of cost-effective, scalable, and, importantly, individualized health and care.
According to Dr Natasha Salifyanji, CEO, Copper Rose, Zambia, “If we want to make an investment in digital health, it’ll be important to improve digital penetration.
With Africa’s population expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, a growth that must be met with sustainable health systems.
Many countries do not have the infrastructure in place to understand where the gaps are and, as a result, they are falling behind on their 2030 targets.
It is therefore essential to ensure young people are provided with new technologies that can help them build on existing networks and disseminate knowledge about issues such as public health.
Decisions that concern young people’s health must be informed by their respective feelings about technology as a tool that is disrupting how they experience care.
While creating innovative solutions to health problems, we must make sure the benefits can be experienced by everyone, especially the young generation.
To attain this, meaningful youth engagement must be integrated into more long-term strategies.
The future of our healthcare systems depends on the young, creative, innovative, and tech savvy mind.
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