GHANA— The United Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) joint StartUp Lab Accelerator, has graduated 20 startups that are advancing educational and healthcare programs for young people and children.
In collaboration with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and MEST Africa, UNICEF Startup Lab has partnered to support Ghanaian startups under the “KOICA-UNICEF Accelerating Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana” project.
The StartUp Lab Accelerator, also disbursed US$445,000 in investment support to the Ghanaian startup.
The “KOICA-UNICEF Accelerating Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana” project, the UNICEF StartUp Lab is an accelerator program dedicated to supporting businesses working towards advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children and young people.
After an intensive six-month accelerator program focused on business and product development, 20 of Ghana’s most innovative entrepreneurs have now graduated from the program.
Founded in Ghana, MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent.
The startups gained valuable access to a network of experts from UNICEF, KOICA, and MEST, offering significant guidance and fostering networking and investment opportunities.
Some of the health startups under the accelerator
For instance, NetLyfe is a health platform that provides medical assistance to patients dealing with malaria, hypertension, diabetes, and pneumonia.
NetLyfe provides consultations with licensed doctors, health tips and information, as well as access to prescribed medication for purchase and home delivery.
Additionally, Chestify AI Labs, is a startup building deep-learning models that aid in diagnosing pathologies on medical images.
Chestify AI Labs also target highly marginalized communities in Africa and the Caribbean that do not have access to radiology infrastructure (health tech) or seasoned radiologists.
Another is DeafCanTalk leverages technology that allows deaf people to access video content in sign language and they also provide TV services for people with hearing disabilities.
Moreover, GAPHealth provides enterprise and patient-centered consumer software for digital health applications and research.
GAPHealth also uses their software as disease and practice-agnostic, with easy, no-code customization to suit the needs of clinics and organisations while enabling virtual health visits and the provision of prescriptions and labs to patients.
A UNICEF-Korea-Ghana collab to advance young people in Africa
Moreover, qualified companies were given dedicated assistance towards achieving recognition as a UN-recognized Digital Public Good.
Additionally, each selected startup received up to US$2,200 in prototyping funding and immersive and hands-on business acceleration support throughout the program.
Established in 2019 and situated in Accra, Ghana, the UNICEF Startup Lab is an accelerator program that supports early-stage, tech-enabled startups working towards advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children and young people.
UNICEF deputy representative in Ghana Fiachra McAsey, “We continue to be inspired by this new cohort of talented startups, who are leveraging digital technology and their business acumen to build new products and services to tackle some of the most difficult challenges faced by young people in Ghana today.”
Moreover, McAsey added that it had been our pleasure to accompany them over the past six months through the UNICEF StartUp Lab Accelerator Programme, and UNICEF looked forward to supporting them further, as they joined the alumni network, and continued to make a difference for children and young people in Ghana, and beyond.
Now in its third year, the UNICEF StartUp Lab has accelerated over 50 Ghanaian startups and invested over $100,000.
The Acting Country Director of KOICA Ghana, Mr. Seungmin Oh said, “KOICA firmly believes in the transformative power of entrepreneurship and innovation. We recognize the importance of creating an enabling environment that fosters creativity, provides necessary resources, and encourages collaboration.”
Moreover, Oh added that KOICA would continue to invest in programs that empower young entrepreneurs and equip them with the skills, resources, and networks needed to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Ambassador Lim Jung-Taek, said, “The Republic of Korea is honored to have been a part of this transformative initiative, which has nurtured the seeds of entrepreneurship and paved the way for a brighter future for these talented individuals.
Amb. Jung-Taek added that South Korea has long been a testament to the power of technology-driven progress which has seen it invest more than 4% of its GDP in research and development, fuelling groundbreaking discoveries and fostering an environment that thrives on innovation.
Gerhard Malah, MEST’s UNICEF StartUp Lab Program Manager, said, “We are thrilled to witness the successful completion of another cohort in the UNICEF StartUp Lab.”
Malah added that the entrepreneurs who graduated from the program would have confidence in their ability to make significant strides in developing and refining their businesses, ultimately serving their communities in even more impactful ways.
This milestone marks the culmination of a journey aimed at enhancing the business, technological, and communication skills of participating entrepreneurs, strengthening their products and businesses, and ultimately increasing their social impact.
Attendees had the opportunity to witness first-hand the incredible ideas and products that the participating impact-driven startups have developed as they work towards addressing some of Ghana’s and Africa’s most pressing issues.
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