In a powerful display of innovation and academic excellence, students from McPherson University have secured fourth place and a N500,000 cash prize at the “Health Innovations for Africa by Africans” competition, a challenge that drew 102 teams and 339 students from 24 universities across the country. The University’s team, known as Team PayG, was shortlisted after a highly competitive evaluation process that culminated in a grand finale which held on June 25, 2025, at the University of Lagos.
Team PayG, led by Ebunoluwa Adeyinka and mentored by Dr. Kayode Oladapo, Acting Director of ICT, showcased their ingenuity alongside team members Olufemi Joshua, Aduragbemi Olubodun, and Prosper Daniel. Ad-hoc members included Oludele Blessing, Ekele Precious, and Amusan Oluwole. Their innovative Proof of Concept (POC) earned them not only the significant cash prize but also the invaluable opportunity to have their idea patented for future implementation, highlighting the practical applicability and potential impact of their solution.
The journey to the grand finale was rigorous. Following a highly competitive evaluation process that scrutinized submissions based on technical innovation, healthcare impact, and feasibility, Team PayG was shortlisted. This was followed by an intensive eight-week mentorship program that honed their skills and refined their project, preparing them to compete for a total prize pool of N4.5 million.
This remarkable achievement underscores McPherson University’s dedication to impactful research and its role in addressing pressing healthcare challenges across Africa. It serves as a powerful affirmation of the institution’s nurturing environment for future innovators and problem-solvers.
The “Health Innovations for Africa by Africans” competition, an initiative launched in March 2025, is funded by AFRETEC and coordinated by the Innovation and Technology Management Office (ITMO) at the University of Lagos, in collaboration with the College of Medicine, UNILAG. Its core objective is to encourage multidisciplinary student-teams from Nigerian universities to develop innovative and scalable solutions to critical healthcare challenges facing the continent.
Beyond the competition itself, the AFRETEC-UNILAG Innovation-in-Health Challenge 2025 also served as a crucial platform for knowledge exchange. Mr. Adekunle Dalton-Oke, Head of Communications, African Business Coalition for Health (ABCHealth), delivered a compelling keynote address titled “Exploring Digital Health Frontiers: Opportunities for Researchers and Innovators.” His presentation shed light on the poor state of Africa’s healthcare system, highlighted key challenges, and emphasized digital health as a transformative solution. Mr. Dalton-Oke further elaborated on the role of digital health for critical stakeholders, the burgeoning digital health ecosystem, and the myriad opportunities within it. He concluded by detailing ABCHealth’s mission to improve health outcomes by bridging gaps between stakeholders and building capacity across Africa’s health value chain.
Dr. Olayinka Adewumi, Acting Director of the Innovation and Technology Management Office, UNILAG, provided insights into the Challenge initiative. She explained that the program, which received invaluable academic and partnership support from organizations like ABCHealth, included a “Young Innovators’ Forum” designed to support young innovator-applicants. This forum featured top health-tech entrepreneurs and a special MATLAB webinar on developing innovative solutions. McPherson University’s success at this national platform not only brings prestige to the institution but also reinforces its position at the forefront of nurturing talent capable of driving real-world change in the tech and healthcare sector.
