The 2nd edition of the Transforming African MedTech Conference took place from 28 – 30 August 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. At the sidelines of the conference, I spoke with several delegates who shared their highlights.

They include:

• Winnie Kibiru, MedTech Lead, Villgro Africa. She is one of the brains behind the conference and she talked about the event’s vision and goals.
• Vivian Arinaitwe, CEO and co-founder, Che Innovations. Her innovation, the Neonest, was one of several amazing medtech devices on exhibition.
• Hellen Gitonga, Regulatory Affairs Specialist for Africa at Philips Health Systems. She spoke about her experiences as a judge during the pitch competition for startups.
• Sewu-Steve Tawia, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Jaza Rift Ventures. They are one of the conference’s conveners and are a major investor in Africa’s medtech sector.
• Eddine Sarroukh, Innovation Lead at Phillips Foundation. He moderated a powerful panel discussion on addressing barriers to medtech innovation in Africa.
• Prof Ndirangu Kioni, former Vice Chancellor, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology. He spoke about academia’s catalytic role in medtech innovation.
• Kimani Chege, a freelance journalist who gave the media’s perspective of the event.
• Rob Beyer, Co-founder and Executive Chair, Villgro Africa. He wrapped up the episode by addressing the ‘so what’ and ‘what next’ of the conference.

For more information about the Transforming African Medtech Conference, visit: https://www.africanmedtech.com/

MedxTek Africa is produced and hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Sam Oti⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and co-edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Veronica Ojiambo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have any thoughts on this episode, or recommendations of African health innovators that you’d like us to host on the show, please reach out directly by email: sam.oti@alumni.harvard.edu or find us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Please note that the MedxTek Africa Podcast is distinct from Dr. Oti's role as a Senior Program Specialist at Canada's International Development Research Centre. The information provided in this podcast is not medical advice, nor should it be construed or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The MedxTek Africa Podcast, its production team, guests and partners assume no liability for the application of the podcast's content.