Last week in New York, the global stage of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) was bustling with important discussions about the future of development. Our CEO, Debbie Rogers, was honoured to join fellow African leaders and global thought partners to drive these conversations. Debbie collaborated with key organisations across two major events — one focused on shaping a sustainable African future, and the other on unleashing digital health for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with the World Health Organization. These sessions solidified a key message for us: the time for Africa to lead, design, and define our own development trajectory is now.

African Innovation: Redefining “With or Without Aid”

The first event, ‘African-led Innovation: Shaping Sustainable Futures with or without Aid’ co-hosted with eHealth Africa, Population Services International, and the Population Council, was a powerful declaration. Moderated by Hon. Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education for Sierra Leone, the consensus was clear: Africa’s future must be driven by African ingenuity and ownership.

The discussion during this event highlighted that with or without aid doesn’t mean rejecting partnership; it means redefining it. As eHealth Africa’s Atef Fawaz noted, it’s about moving from others bringing “ready-made solutions” to co-designing sustainable solutions together.

This key moment resonated deeply with the core of our work, particularly as the conversation turned to digital health. Panellists like Africa CDC’s Jean Philbert Nsengimana urged the continent to chase a digital health revolution that mirrors the success of fintech — a ‘M-PESA leap’ for health.

For Debbie, the session was a platform to champion our foundational belief: constraints drive creativity, and Africa is poised to leapfrog because of them.

The Power of Love: Building Services People Want to Use

Across both UNGA events — the African-led innovation discussion and the Be He@lthy Be Mobile session (a collaboration with the WHO, ITU, and Vital Strategies) — Debbie’s key message was consistent and critical: we must move beyond merely building systems that people tolerate, to creating user-centric services that people love.

This is the essence of designing with people where they are.

At Reach, we see the profound impact of this approach every day. Debbie shared the success of South Africa’s National Department of Health MomConnect programme, which has reached over five million women since 2014. While the scale is impressive, the statistic she emphasised is that 98% of women recommend it to others. That’s not just adoption; that’s love and finding an intervention actually useful — it’s a service built so effectively around users’ needs that they become its strongest advocates.

As Debbie put it: “Build with people where they are, embrace constraints, and leapfrog. Create services people love, not just systems they tolerate.”

This simple yet profound philosophy is what sets African-led innovation apart. When we face infrastructure or resource constraints, we don’t just work around them; we need to be so user-focused that we leapfrog over traditional development models. We bypass old systems to deliver direct, effective, and delightful digital experiences.

The Road Ahead

The momentum from UNGA 80 is invigorating. Whether it was discussing the shift from aid dependency to African ownership, or exploring how digital tools can combat the rise of NCDs, the message remains clear: user-centric design is the engine that drives sustainable, African-led digital health innovation.

We are committed to building on this momentum through deeper collaboration and sustained investment in solutions that are born from and for the people of the continent.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in New York and virtually. The future of digital health is being driven from right here in Africa — and it’s a future we are not just joining, but leading.

What user-centric innovation in your sector are you most excited about right now?

At our core, we believe that collaboration is key to reimagining the future of healthcare and creating a healthier, more equitable world for all.

Ready to make an impact together? If you’re passionate about digital health and believe in the power of collaboration, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us to explore partnership opportunities and help shape the future of healthcare: https://www.reachdigitalhealth.org/contact