The first Health Hack Accra is set to take place this weekend (August 26-28), with attendees asked to come up with innovative business ideas and models with the potential to improve health outcomes in Ghana, West Africa, and the continent.
Co-hosted by Merck, Hack for Big Choices, and Facebook, the 48-hour event will take place at Impact Hub Accra, with a range of health entrepreneurs, from students to surgeons, set to participate.
Attendees will be asked to form teams of three to six members, and teams will work together to develop their idea into a prototype or model to pitch before a judging panel at the end of the weekend.
Health Hack Accra aims to empower entrepreneurs and health professionals to use their knowledge, skills and experience to find business opportunities in the health space, and to create a “new network of visionary health leaders” capable of improving the region’s health outcomes.
“All throughout the continent, health challenges and potential solutions have been isolated by physicians, patients, and communities. We’re excited to support people passionate about improving health outcomes – providing the tools necessary to take dreams and turn them into reality. Through our partnership with Merck we will be able to provide the next generation of health leaders with the resources needed to change Africa’s health landscape,” said Emily Sheldon, director of health innovation at Impact Hub Accra.
“Participating in the Healthcare Hackathon in Ghana will enable us to use our expertise in supporting entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality. The project offers us the opportunity to help develop solutions to problems that are faced not only by people in the region, but in countries all over the world,” said Michael Gamber of Merck Innovation Centre.
Three winning teams will be selected by the judging panel, and will receive a business development prize pack – including six months of co-working in the Merck Entrepreneurial Development Space (MEDspace) located at Impact Hub Accra; a five-day Unreasonable Labs business acceleration course; and support from Facebook – including acceptance into the Bootstrap track of the FbStart programme, support to create a Free Basics compatible website, and complimentary business software.
