Over the weekend, we hosted Luke Barasa—a healthcare strategist, entrepreneur, and advocate for digital health innovation in Africa, and head of country operations, Zipline, Kenya—in the third edition of our Healthcare Leadership and Innovation Webinar series (which is taking on a new style).
In the conversation, Barasa laid bare the structural issues throttling Africa’s health ecosystem: a fragmented supply chain, underfunded infrastructure, and persistent dependence on foreign aid.
His message was far from bleak. With clarity and conviction, he pointed to the rise of digital health—encompassing telemedicine, mobile clinics, platform-based care, and innovative models—as the beacon of hope.
Luke Barasa shared expert insights on how healthcare professionals across the continent can transform ideas into sustainable, impactful solutions.
He challenged healthcare entrepreneurs to address five foundational questions for building viable businesses and walked through business models that matter in Africa’s unique economic and policy environments.
Whether B2G (government-facing), B2B (business-to-business), or B2C (direct-to-consumer), Barasa emphasised that sustainability is the non-negotiable thread connecting success stories across the continent.
“Leadership must start at the grassroots,” he said.
“We must own our innovations, shape our policies, and build systems tailored to our people.”
“Africa’s healthcare professionals are not just caregivers—they are changemakers,” Luke noted during the session.
He emphasised the need for healthcare professionals to start small, seek mentorship and learn all that they must know about leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.
He also dwelt on the importance of country-specific innovations.
“Africa is not a country!”
What works in Nigeria will not work in Kenya unless adjustments are made that reflect Kenya’s unique culture.
The full conversation recording is now available on YouTube. Or watch it after this post.
Watch it, share it, and join us in reimagining what’s possible for African healthcare leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Our webinars—perhaps we shouldn’t call them webinars anymore, as we are transitioning from the traditional webinar method of having a pre-registered audience to a pre-recorded live format (with a select number of participants), which will be edited and published.
Our overall goal is to amplify and spread the message of healthcare leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.
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