In every corner of the world, health systems face increasing pressure to do more with less. Innovations, whether technological, organisational or social, are essential to strengthening these systems, improving care quality, enhancing patient experiences and building resilience against future crises. Yet while the 21st century has brought remarkable breakthroughs, from AI driven diagnostics to mRNA vaccines and telemedicine, one fundamental challenge remains: turning promising innovations into practical, scalable solutions that truly deliver impact.
This challenge was at the heart of a compelling discussion during the Oxford Summer Academy for the Social Science of Health Innovation (SASHI), held at St Hilda’s College. The event brought together a vibrant panel of Mastercard Foundation Scholars: Adebisi Adenipekun, Leila Ilupeju, Bill Erich Mbianyor and Hams Bashir, who shared experiences from across the health innovation landscape. Their perspectives offered important lessons for young innovators, policymakers, researchers and anyone committed to strengthening Africa’s health systems.
Innovation Does Not Happen in a Vacuum
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was that innovation is never just about technology. It is deeply contextual. A brilliant idea is not enough, and its viability depends on the lived realities of the people and systems it aims to serve. There is no universal formula for navigating the health innovation ecosystem. Instead, success demands a clear understanding of:
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the needs and constraints of target users
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the incentives shaping market behaviour
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the political and regulatory landscapes in which solutions must operate
As the panel reminded us, translating ideas into practice often involves trade-offs that are both personal and strategic. For young innovators especially, choosing funding models can be fraught with ethical dilemmas. Offers of seed funding can come with costly strings attached, such as demands for unrestricted access to proprietary databases or irrevocable rights to future technologies. The conversation underscored the need for vigilance and values-based decision making in the earliest phases of innovation development.
The Government: Partner, Gatekeeper or Both?
Another central insight was the critical yet complicated role of government in scaling and sustaining health innovations. Even when entrepreneurs choose not to pursue government funding, the influence of public policy is unavoidable. A single regulation can accelerate an innovation or render it unviable overnight.
Aligning with political priorities can be challenging, but maintaining constructive relationships with government actors is essential. Public sector engagement remains the surest path to widespread adoption, particularly in health systems where governments are primary service providers.
Innovation Must Not Leave People Behind
Perhaps the most important reflection from the discussion concerned equity. As technological innovation accelerates, the risk of deepening existing inequalities grows. The panel challenged participants to keep inclusion at the centre of design, deployment and scaling. This helps ensure that vulnerable populations, including displaced communities and low-income groups, are not merely research subjects during pilot phases but beneficiaries of the long-term value innovations create.
This is especially urgent in African contexts, where systemic inequities and resource constraints can turn even well-intentioned innovations into exclusive services.
A Call for Courage and Collaboration
Ultimately, translating health innovation into practice is not a solo endeavour. It requires the boldness of an entrepreneur, the analytical rigour of a researcher and the relational skill of a policy advocate. It requires collaboration across sectors, disciplines and geographies. Most importantly, it requires commitment not only to innovation itself but to the people whose lives stand to be transformed by it.
The SASHI discussion reaffirmed that Africa is home to talented thinkers and creators who understand both the opportunities and the complexities of health innovation. The task before us is to equip them to navigate these complexities with integrity, creativity and courage.
The future of health systems across the continent, and indeed the world, depends on our collective ability to generate new ideas and translate them into equitable, sustainable practice. That work begins with conversations like this one.
About the Authors
Adebisi Adenipekun, Bill Erich Mbianyor, Hams Bashir and Leila Ilupeju are emerging and transformative leaders in global health and health‑systems innovation. Their collective expertise spans pandemic policy, digital health, migrant and refugee health, and health‑system strengthening across Africa. They bring experience from leading global institutions and are Mastercard Foundation scholar Alumni at the University of Oxford.