Date: 31/10/2025
Time: 15:00 – 16:00 (GMT)
Location: Online
Resilient innovation: Building health tech the African way
In this webinar, Commonwealth Alumnus Stephanie Okpere will discuss why Africa must approach technology innovation differently, and the powerful lessons this offers in resilience, contextual design, and systems-building.
With the complexity faced by global health systems, the experiences of African countries highlight the limitations of imported solutions and the challenges faced by locally developed innovations. Stephanie will share insights from her role as Director of Design for Health Practice at Co-Creation Hub, Africa’s largest innovation enabler, where she supports entrepreneurs across the continent.
From payments and logistics to data and trust, African innovators often need to build foundational infrastructure before health solutions can succeed. This unique vantage point reveals critical lessons in designing for context, building resilient systems, and enabling sustainable innovation- lessons that are shaping Africa’s health future and offering valuable insights for global innovation leaders.
This webinar will address the CSC development theme, Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
The CSC’s Development in Action webinar series provides an opportunity for Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni to present on their work and contribution to development across a range of contemporary global challenges and provide insight into ongoing research and action.
Open to all Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni, the monthly webinars will address one of the CSC’s six development themes and provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in real-time Q&A discussion on the topic presented.
You can watch previous webinars on the CSC’s YouTube channel.
Stephanie Okpere is the Head, Design for Health Practice, Co-creation HUB (CcHUB), Africa’s largest innovation hub focused on health, education, economy, and technology. At CcHUB, Stephanie provides advisory support to health start-ups, and other organisations, contributing to building a vibrant health innovation ecosystem. She also supports innovative research and the development of unique solutions for health outcomes. Stephanie also convenes the African Digital Epidemiology and Innovation Network (ADEIN).
As a digital health and strategic management professional, Stephanie has expertise in leading the development of public health technology innovations and fostering collaborations among stakeholders. She has led the design, development, optimisation and adoption of country-level technology solutions and has contributed to attracting project funding of up to $20M towards improving health and nutrition outcomes across countries, especially in Africa.
Stephanie Okpere is a 2015 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar from Nigeria. She completed her MPH in Public Health and Primary Care at University of Manchester.
