The quest to transform Nigeria’s health innovation landscape gained major momentum on Thursday as the Society for Family Health, through its enterprise arm, SFH Access, officially launched the CoElevate Catalytic Fund. The new mechanism is designed to accelerate homegrown solutions in HealthTech, WASH, Pharmaceutical R&D, and Non-Communicable Diseases. The launch event, held at SFH’s Lagos office, brought together innovators, policymakers, funders, and development partners who all shared a common goal of strengthening Nigeria’s health system through sustainable innovation.
Speaking at the launch, Managing Director of SFH Access, Pharm. Dennis Aizobu, described the initiative as “the beginning of a new chapter in West Africa’s innovation history.” He explained that many brilliant ideas across Nigeria fail not because the creators lack competence but because innovators often struggle with limited exposure, inadequate capital, weak systems, and poor support structures. He said the CoElevate Catalytic Fund was designed to close these long-standing gaps.
Aizobu noted that no health system can thrive without ongoing innovation. He explained that the new fund provides “access to mentorship, access to support, access to capital, and access to platforms that will ensure scale.” He said SFH Access is investing in the next generation of solution providers who are addressing urgent challenges in digital health, WASH innovations, emerging infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases. According to him, the catalytic fund brings together grants, mentorship, and access to SFH’s 40-year infrastructure. He emphasized that “Africans must invest in Africa,” adding that CoElevate will operate two funding cycles every year to give startups more opportunities to join a well-supported innovation ecosystem.
Chairperson of the SFH Access Board of Directors, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, described the CoElevate launch as a major step toward strengthening equitable access to healthcare and empowering young innovators. He said the initiative reflects SFH’s long-standing commitment to supporting vulnerable communities and building paths for young Nigerians who want to contribute to national development. Yakasai pointed out that innovation remains essential in addressing Africa’s complex health challenges. He applauded the CoElevate platform for identifying, nurturing, and promoting homegrown solutions. He said targeted investment and strong partnerships will help transform communities and strengthen health systems. Yakasai also commended the SFH Access advisory team and other stakeholders for creating what he said was a mechanism capable of shaping the future of innovation in Nigeria, calling the launch “a stepping stone toward a healthier, more innovative, and more resilient society.”
The Managing Director of SFH, Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, spoke on the extensive infrastructure the organisation has developed across technology, logistics, supply-chain, regulatory, and brand-development systems. He said these assets are now available to innovators through the CoElevate programme. Idogho noted that SFH works on Microsoft Azure, collaborates with Amazon Web Services (AWS), and has a long record in building APIs, digital tools, and health-tech systems. He highlighted SFH’s 7,000-square-meter pharmagrade warehouse, 22 satellite warehouses, and a nationwide logistics network capable of distributing health products from Lagos “to anywhere in Nigeria.”
He explained that SFH’s decades of credibility in regulation, product development, and brand growth give innovators an edge. He added that replicating these competencies independently would cost startups billions of naira. He said SFH’s partnerships with major local and international Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisations could rapidly take new research and development outcomes to scale. According to Idogho, funding is important, but what SFH brings goes beyond financing and includes tested systems, market access, regulatory experience, and a national distribution capability needed to reach communities where innovations matter most.
Looking ahead, Idogho said success over the next five years should be measured against Nigeria’s major health challenges such as maternal mortality and low immunisation coverage. He explained that despite decades of life-saving technologies, Nigeria still records preventable deaths during childbirth and struggles with one of the world’s lowest immunisation rates. He said CoElevate was created to catalyse homegrown solutions that respond to real community needs. If supported innovations help reduce maternal deaths, strengthen immunisation, and improve access to essential services, Idogho said SFH would have succeeded in redefining Nigeria’s innovation landscape.
Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Director of Disease Control, Dr. Victoria Egunjobi, praised SFH for its decades of impactful work and for launching a catalytic fund at a time when many innovators face limited opportunities. She said innovation is a major driver of progress in successful health systems, but it remains expensive and challenging without enabling structures. She noted that the CoElevate Catalytic Fund will help nurture and scale homegrown ideas in diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, behavioral change, and system strengthening. She added that Nigeria’s next major public health breakthrough could emerge from any state if the right support systems are created. Egunjobi called for sustained collaboration to keep the fund active and effective. She said the Lagos State Government looks forward to the solutions that beneficiaries will develop as the state continues working toward universal healthcare access.
Deputy Managing Director of Strategy, Technical and Growth at SFH, Dr. Jennifer Anyanti, said the CoElevate Catalytic Fund was created without a rigid ceiling because SFH has mastered how to raise capital to support high-impact ideas. She explained that many strong concepts fail not because they lack potential but because entrepreneurs often misunderstand the infrastructure needed to bring ideas to life. Anyanti said once an idea is sound and designed for impact, “the funding will always find its way,” noting that SFH has consistently mobilised donors and partners to support promising solutions.
She emphasized that SFH’s 43-year experience in partnerships and collaboration is one of its greatest strengths. She said many young innovators rely only on proposal submissions that often get stuck on the desks of busy government officials. She explained that the CoElevate accelerator acts as a bridge by identifying strong ideas, nurturing them, and guiding innovators to the right agencies, institutions, and funders. Beyond funding, she said the programme offers mentorship, proposal reviews, concept refinement, and strategic support to help innovators navigate Nigeria’s complex operating environment. Anyanti added that the initiative aims to fix structural gaps in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, especially in life sciences where support systems are weaker than in sectors like fintech. She said CoElevate will create a ripple effect, producing innovators who will build others and strengthen the entire ecosystem. According to her, the platform will offer technical guidance, sector mentorship, system exposure, and strategic networks needed to unlock the potential of young Africans determined to address major health challenges.
Member of the SFH Access Advisory Board, Dr. Onyeka Uche Ofili, said the initiative is bold, impactful, and capable of transforming Nigeria’s healthcare landscape if executed well. He said innovation should not only be profit-driven but should be focused on solving real societal problems. Ofili highlighted that healthcare is vast and innovation is needed across all areas including maternal health, child health, adolescent wellbeing, elderly care, and technologies that improve health system efficiency. He said sustainability depends on the ability of innovations to address real community needs and improve lives.
Drawing from his experience in entrepreneurship and emerging markets, Ofili explained that ideas solving real problems attract funding, create meaningful work, and scale sustainably. He urged innovators to anchor their solutions on filling real gaps in healthcare delivery.
Founder of Syndicate Bio, Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, speaking on unlocking Africa’s innovation potential in life sciences and deep tech, described SFH as “one of the hidden secrets in Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.” He praised the organisation for its discipline, deep infrastructure, and sustainability. He explained that healthcare and deep tech require infrastructure, laboratories, logistics, power, and strong systems that are often unavailable to African innovators. He said building deep-tech companies in Africa is challenging because they require more than digital coding and depend heavily on physical infrastructure and regulatory processes. He noted that SFH’s catalytic mechanism will play a major role in addressing these barriers.
Ene-Obong said Nigeria must invest in building hard businesses capable of driving system-wide transformation. He noted that SFH’s commitment to innovation shows that the organisation is evolving with global trends and is well positioned to shape the future of health innovation in Africa.
The CoElevate Catalytic Fund will provide $5,000 to $10,000 milestone-based grants, 15 to 20 percent equity investments, mentorship, regulatory guidance, access to pilot sites, and a 24-month portfolio management programme designed to strengthen innovation pipelines. SFH Access said the fund will run two competitive cycles every year. Designed to support HealthTech, WASH, Pharmaceutical R&D, and NCD innovations, the fund seeks solutions with strong public health relevance, gender inclusivity, scalability, and measurable impact while contributing to a national and regional ecosystem that supports innovators beyond financial capital.
