[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9274\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBuilding bridges of innovation between Europe and Africa\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECovering everything from smart health and fintech services to food tech, ed tech and sustainable energy, EU and African companies are bringing their smart solutions to be incubated, accelerated and scaled up via partnerships across the Mediterranean Sea. Together, they are tackling global health emergencies - such as the Covid-19 pandemic - and climate change, issues that hit Africa hardest, but transcend borders and countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeet Hadiyyah Eleojoh Lawal. She is a disrupter dedicated to unlocking digital healthcare in Nigeria, now scaling up in Europe. Appreciating the tremendous potential of digital technologies, she is helping African hospitals throw their paper files into the dustbins of history, and through smart solutions, linking hospitals and patient data across the two continents.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMaking the dream come true\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It was always a dream to make key information available to patients in my home country,\u2019 said Lawal, who studied information management systems at university.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs chief operating officer of Primed E-health, a leading African digital healthcare company in Nigeria\u2019s capital city Abuja, Lawal has realised her dream. Together with co-founder and company CEO Dr Are Abdulhafiz, they developed a game-changing electronic management system to unify records and databases across hospitals, which now counts 44 hospitals in West Africa, handling data of 1.5 million patients. With Primed E-health\u2019s award-winning SmartClinic app, patients can use their smartphones to access their doctors for consultations, download their health records, get prescriptions, book medical appointments and pay fees through the SmartWallet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs one of the first companies in Africa to digitise hospitals, Primed E-health\u2019s mobile and web medical app gained incredible traction in the response to Covid-19. Its mobile-web solution was recognised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as one of the country\u2019s top digital solutions developed by startups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlong with the NCC award came funding to digitise many more hospitals in Nigeria and roll out the pilot SmartClinic product. The company is now expanding to 200 hospitals in Ghana, Uganda, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, and Kenya. \u2018And the next step will be to link them with Europe,\u2019 said Lawal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA chance to bridge the business in Europe\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Hadiyyah Eleojoh Lawal, Primed E-health\u2019s cofounder and COO.\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u002260d3516a-6521-4644-a5fb-7d5a8467dfd1\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/ms%20lawal%20hadiyyah_0.jpg\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EHadiyyah Eleojoh Lawal, Primed E-health\u2019s cofounder and COO.\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have vast knowledge of the startup space, allowing us to develop a model that we think can be scaled across Europe,\u2019 said Lawal. \u2018We can now achieve this with the large network of startups \u2013 especially in other African countries like Uganda and Kenya, expanding our reach as we develop programmes around healthcare and technology. We are now able to hire local experts due to the collaborations we already established while in Europe.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlans to connect with Europe are in motion. The company is one of 10 African innovators to incubate in the \u201cBEES\u201d soft-landing programme launched in Paris by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/enrich-in-africa-project.eu\/africa-europe\u0022\u003EFrench incubator Bond\u2019innov \u003C\/a\u003E- a key industry player in the innovation network \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/enrich-in-africa-project.eu\/\u0022\u003EENRICH in Africa (EiA) \u003C\/a\u003Ementoring startups and SMEs in the cross-continental innovation system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe have vast knowledge of the startup space, allowing us to develop a model that we think can be scaled across Europe\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EHadiyyah Eleojoh Lawal, Primed E-health\u2019s cofounder and CEO.\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELawal highlights her experience as proof that such EU-Africa initiatives are key to attracting investors and future stakeholders when launching in Europe. \u2018We have been able to establish partnerships around online transactional services that we can integrate with our healthcare solutions, and other mobile healthcare providers, like H24. These are allowing us to [even] integrate with other markets that are linked to Europe, such as Tunisia, Algeria and others,\u2019 she added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPowered by the EiA programme, Bond\u2019innov\u2019s bootcamp has helped Lawal and her company \u2018navigate the complex and important path of internationalisation to Europe.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch European and African innovation linkups to tackle global challenges are expected to get a boost as EU and AU leaders acknowledged their joint Innovation Agenda for jobs and growth with a focus on youth during the AU-EU Summit this week.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEuropean companies scale up in Africa\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEiA programmes do not just help African startups and SMEs scale up in Europe. They also cater for European innovators interested in scaling up on the opposite side of the Mediterranean and right across Africa. These programmes offer access to local markets and knowhow, and aim at boosting innovation investments, jobs and growth. They also target global challenges, as pandemics and the climate emergency do not respect borders between countries or continents.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEuropean startups are already experiencing acceleration in Africa. They can now join accelerators such as Chapter54, which - launched by global tech investment firm Partech - is the first accelerator dedicated to European scaleups. The decision to expand to Africa is inspired by the continent\u2019s fast-growing tech ecosystem, the company says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe timing is perfect. The African \u2018tech hubs\u2019 ecosystem is expanding to accommodate a next generation of innovators that range from business incubators - where early-stage companies have access to mentoring and support to help them get established - and accelerators, offering developing companies access to mentorship, investors and further support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne platform for European companies seeking to invest in Africa is the African European Digital Innovation Bridge Network (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aedibnet.eu\/\u0022\u003EAEDIB|NET\u003C\/a\u003E). Aiming to create a common digital innovation ecosystem, this initiative is building bridges between EU and African ecosystems. By connecting startups, SMEs, the diaspora, and other African and European ecosystem players in trans-continental partnerships, it is facilitating intercontinental collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Rym Jarou, project manager for ICT Startups and Innovation Ecosystems Development at the Smart Africa Secretariat\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022a964e1ea-3925-4a8e-9568-8ffde1756b73\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/RJDSC_4462.JPG\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ERym Jarou, project manager for ICT Startups and Innovation Ecosystems Development at the Smart Africa Secretariat\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003ESmart Africa is ensuring that the continent develops in harmony with Europe and the rest of the world through cooperation initiatives\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ERym Jarou, project manager for ICT Startups and Innovation Ecosystems Development at the Smart Africa Secretariat\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIts mission includes establishing digital innovation hubs (DIHs) along the EU DIH model, and adapting them to work on shared challenges, such as climate, smart agriculture, smart cities, and digital trade. The final goal is to provide SME and intermediary support as well as investor networks by tapping into expertise from Africa and Europe, altogether creating a powerful common innovation ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf the 13 key consortium partners in the project is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/smartafrica.org\/\u0022\u003ESmart Africa\u003C\/a\u003E, a pan-African institution. Its aim is ambitious: to transform Africa into a single digital market by 2030 (much like the EU) by building affordable digital infrastructure, promoting and facilitating investment in Africa, and accelerating the birth and development of a digital society. Backed by all heads of state and government of the African Union, the Smart Africa Alliance today includes 32 African countries, which represent close to a whopping 815 million people.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Smart Africa is ensuring that the continent develops in harmony with Europe and the rest of the world through cooperation initiatives such as the EU-Africa Digital Economy Taskforce, the AU-EU D4D Hub project, our partnership with European development partners such as Norway\u2019s NORAD and Germany\u2019s BMZ\/GIZ,\u2019 said Rym Jarou, project manager for ICT Start-ups and Innovation Ecosystems Development at the Smart Africa Secretariat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Jarou, the project outcomes will be \u2018very impactful\u2019 for the development of African and European digital innovation hubs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to ensure that the maximum number of possible hubs, startups and innovators benefit from this knowledge and these linkages and opportunities,\u2019 she concluded.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-bnahcxbm8nzw-jvpguiifkeqol7i5toaghwgrrp89ao\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-BnahCXBM8NZW_JVPGUiiFkEqOl7I5ToaGhwGrRp89ao\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]