14th October, 2023
By Jethro Ibileke
There is palpable excitement in the University of Benin (UNIBEN), as two of its recently graduated pharmacy students, Pharms. (Dr) Chioma Favour Uzoma and Pharms. (Dr) Favour Oluwatobi Ogedegbe, emerged as the first runner-up among the top 5 teams in a global Bechangemaker social entrepreneurship competition.
In the remarkable achievement, they outshone 569 startups from 86 countries, including the USA, Morocco and Colombia, with their Medvax Health, a health tech startup in the competition that was held in Dublin, Ireland.
Their ground-breaking solution, an AI-powered app, tackles the distribution of counterfeit and substandard medications in Africa.
After three months of rigorous training and two competitive online rounds, they secured a place among the top 5 global finalists, as the only African team out of 11 from the continent that started the second phase of the competition three months ago.
The feat earned them two fully funded tickets to pitch live at the Worldskills General Assembly in Dublin, where they captivated a diverse audience of social investors, government officials, and partners from Worldskills and HP Foundation.
The duo’s efforts were rewarded with a seed grant, providing essential support to kickstart their operations in Nigeria.
Medvax Health aims to impact significantly in addressing the critical issue of infiltration of counterfeit medications in Africa’s pharmaceutical supply chain, thereby potentially saving lives.
With over half a million sub-Saharan Africans succumbing to this issue annually, their innovation comes as a beacon of hope.
In a statement made available to journalists in Benin, Edo State, the young entrepreneurs expressed their pride as Nigerians and emphasized their commitment to putting their country on the global map.
They encourage fellow Nigerian youths to pursue their passions, reach beyond the stars, and contribute to positive change, even as they called on the government to support young entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions in their various sectors