Johnson & Johnson’s $100,000 Africa Innovation Challenge

Are you or your company designing solutions to improve consumer health? Are these solutions locally viable? If your answers are in the affirmative, then applications are open for the Johnson & Johnson Africa Innovation Challenge (AIC).

With as much as $100,000 up for grabs, this initiative that aims to support the growing innovation ecosystem in Africa is accepting submissions for its 2017 AIC. For funding and mentoring, Johnson & Johnson expects solutions that focuses on improving these critical health issues:

• Maternal Health Care and Early Child Development: Non-pharmaceutical or technology solutions that ensures mothers and children stay healthy throughout pregnancy, child-birth and early child development.

• Young Women Empowerment: Educational, technology and consumer product solutions that will improve the African woman’s access to good education and feminine care products.

• Family Well-being: Innovative technology-driven solutions that will improve family access to reliable health care information, professionals and products.

Maternal Health Care

If you are considering sending out an application then you should know the following:

• Your idea MUST be focused on solving issues in any of the critical areas mentioned prior.
• Your solution will be accessed on Scalability, Innovation and Creativity.
• Your solution should have an outline detailing how being a recipient of an award will aid in attaining critical milestones within a year with full commercialization plans.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is heavily invested in Africa with her involvement dating back over 80 years in more than 25 countries. J&J “is introducing the Africa Innovation Challenge, to encourage entrepreneurial thinking in Africa and the creation of consumer health care solutions that address the critical unmet needs of the continent and her people. Johnson & Johnson is not granted any rights in the ideas of applicants to the African Innovation Challenge as a result of their participation in the challenge.  Applicants and winners remain free to continue the further development of their ideas on their own.” (check this for more details)

Deadline for submission is on 17th January, 2017 and by February,2017 recipients of the award will be announced. For more information about J&J and AIC, Terms and Conditions for Submissions, meeting mentors and applying, visit here.   

Wishing all applicants good luck!.