Healthymagination mother and child program selects 14 African social enterpreneurs for second cohort training and mentorship
SOUTH AFRICA- Wednesday, 26th of July, the healthymagination Mother and Child Program announces its second cohort of social enterprises that will receive training and mentorship aimed at improving and accelerating maternal and/or child health outcomes in Africa. The program reportedly launched in March 2016 by GE and Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship with the aim to continue to accelerate health innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
GE, a press statement disclosed that after a rigorous application and evaluation process, 14 organizations were selected to be in the program’s second cohort of social entrepreneurs and accelerate maternal health outcomes across Africa with impact areas including, Benin, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and more.
The second cohort of entrepreneurs, according to report, is currently attending a three-day, in-person workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. This kick-off workshop packs core business principles into a powerful forum facilitated by senior-level Miller Center mentors and GE business leaders. The program is designed to help the organizations acquire business fundamentals, improve their strategic thought processes, and articulate business plans that demonstrate impact, growth and long-term financial sustainability.
According to the Executive Director of healthymagination, Robert Wells, “Solving local health challenges calls for locally-adapted interventions and innovations, and Social Entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa are playing a major role in this regard.” Thus, “The healthymagination Mother and Child program will continue to provide them with mentorship and in-depth training, accelerating health innovation and furthering our goal to increase the quality, access and affordability of maternal and child health.”
In the words of Dr Thane Kreiner, executive director of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, “GE’s mission to work on better health for more people is evidenced by” her “continuing partnership to help social enterprises scale their impact. Therefore, “This cohort’s impact aligns with the target indicators for United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number Three.” The Director added that “Miller Center is honored with such amazing social enterprises applied to this Mother & Child accelerator program.”
According to the release, the kick-off workshop will be followed by a six-month, online accelerator program with in-depth mentorship from Silicon Valley-based executives and local GE business leaders. The accelerator and mentorship program will culminate in a “Premier Pitch” event in Africa where the 14 organizations will present their respective enterprises to an audience of potential investors.
The President and CEO of GE Healthcare Africa, Farid Fezoua, noted that there must be a social entrepreneurship scheme in place to record a considerable progress in sustaining healthcare development in Africa. He, however, noted that each participant’s idea with supports from healthymagination will drive about significant success which will help tackle some of Africa’s biggest challenges.
“Nurturing a vibrant social entrepreneurship ecosystem is key for sustainable healthcare development and is a major focus area for GE in Africa. Through their various initiatives to strengthen mother and child care, these social entrepreneurs are bringing innovative approaches to tackle some of Africa’s biggest challenges and this is truly exciting.
“By leveraging GE’s domain expertise and the business-building skills imparted by Miller Center’s Silicon Valley mentors, we are honored to provide mentorship and guidance to these great organizations.”
Correspondent: Ridwan A Olayiwola
