AI as a solution to Africa’s health challenges? 

The healthcare sector sees potential with AI implementation for enhanced accessibility. Unlocking African innovation, young talent emerges as a key driver

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Artificial intelligence could emerge as a potent remedy for long-standing challenges in Africa’s health care sector, writes Jackie Opara. It just requires innovators, researchers, and policymakers to collaborate and invest in the technology.

The panel discussion on the development and adoption of locally produced AI solutions for healthcare in Africa was held on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on November 9, ahead of the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA).

CPHIA is an annual international conference on public health in Africa organised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Africa CDC, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, says: “It is important that Africa does not miss out on adopting AI. Institutions like the Africa CDC can lead by example by promoting AI to break the cycle of hesitancy.”

Abimbola Adebakin, panellist and founder of Advantage Health Africa, an organisation that uses technology to improve health outcomes, said AI could be a powerful force capable of addressing the soaring costs of drugs, inefficiencies in drug development, and the protracted timelines involved.

For instance, she cited Africa’s dependency on the importation of medicine as a problem that needed a solution.

“Drug production, I think, is one area where AI can find itself most useful,” she said.

Adebakin said that the traditional ten to 15-year timeline and US$2.5 billion cost for pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs could be drastically reduced by AI.

By leveraging AI’s capabilities in drug production, from cost reduction to streamlining the development process, Africa can accelerate its inclusion in the pharmaceutical supply chain, she said.

“It will help us address the healthcare needs of our increasing population of Africans and reduce our dependence on Asia for our medicine, all the way from our active ingredient to our finished product,” said Adebakin.

Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Chief Digital Advisor at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the discussion that AI adoption in the healthcare sector offered opportunities to expand access to services across all levels of care on the African continent.

“Institutions like the Africa CDC can lead by example by promoting AI to break the cycle of hesitancy,” Nsengimana said.

Nsengimana said that the Africa CDC had just launched its digital transformation strategy, which included a number of initiatives, including the adoption of AI in health care.

“What we are doing is scoping out additional projects and initiatives that will go a long way in promoting the use and adoption of AI for health. The innovation community has the responsibility of correctly communicating the benefits and then triggering action, basically creating demand for change,” he added.

Adebakin said Africa must strategically position itself to attract investment in AI healthcare solutions.

“We need to have our public sector ready with policies and the enabling regulatory environment. For now, I know we have just four to five African countries: Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, and maybe Rwanda, that have their AI policies in place.”

Thomas Nkoudou, an AI researcher at the Montreal International Centre of Expertise in Artificial Intelligence, advocated for Africa’s active participation in the global AI landscape.

He underscored the need for Africa to carve out its own space in the AI realm, shaping its own narrative and engaging in the ongoing discourse, and said Africa had great potential for innovation, fueled by its abundant young talent.

“I can say there is a good chance to launch AI in Africa,” he added.

This piece was originally produced by SciDev.Net’s and is being reproduced here under Creative Commons.