From campus dream, how Sekofia beat 714 global competitors to win BeChangeMaker 2024

In a display of innovation and determination at a finale at the WorldSkills Conference 2024 in Lyon, France, African health-tech startup, Sekofia, Sekofia wins BeChangeMaker 2024 competition, a collaborative initiative between WorldSkills and the HP Foundation, on September 12, 2024.

TechGyant spoke with the co-founders Ochong Johnson Aduma and Nino Chibuzor Nwachukwu to take a look at Sekofia’s journey. We trace their path from a campus idea to global recognition and how their ingenious Software as a Service (SaaS) platform promises to revolutionise healthcare access across Africa to streamline the often cumbersome process of health insurance management.

A bold vision born from a personal story 

“Paying out-of-pocket for services she was actually covered for simply because the process was too cumbersome,” Ochong, Sekofia’s CEO recalls, recounting the experience of his mother as a civil servant in Benue State, Nigeria.

In the bustling, hilly campus of the African Leadership University in Rwanda where they met as students, Ochong and Nino often found themselves with a shared personal frustration: the inefficiency of health insurance systems back home in Nigeria. Little did the two friends know they would end up as innovation partners to solve the problem together.

After late-night brainstorming sessions and scribbled diagrams on whiteboards and a renewed, the team’s mission began: connect patients, healthcare providers, and insurance companies, addressing a critical pain point in African healthcare systems. Early testing has shown promising results: a reduction in administrative load by up to 90% and a decrease in patient time-to-care by up to 95%.

Beating the odds to compete at BeChangeMaker 2024

The journey to being one of the top five finalists in BeChangeMaker 2024 was far from smooth as building Sekofia was challenging. But the stories of people struggling with health insurance renewed their determination. As Ochong and Nino refined their pitch and solution, they kept going back to the stories that drove them. 

Their perseverance paid off when Sekofia was selected as one of the top 30 startups for the BeChangeMaker program, out of a record-breaking 715 teams of young social entrepreneurs from 83 countries. The three-month intensive mentorship that followed was a crucible of growth for the young entrepreneurs.

The competition was fierce, as the five finalist teams, representing Nigeria, Vietnam, Kenya, Colombia, and Zimbabwe, had just five minutes to present their innovative solutions to a panel of judges and a global audience of government officials, policymakers and investors around the world at a live pitch event.

Unstoppable for life

As they stood on the stage in Lyon with the air thick with anticipation, they were carrying the hopes of millions of Africans who deserve better healthcare access.

When Sekofia was announced as the winner of BeChangeMaker 2024, the moment was surreal for Ochong and Nino. But they are not resting on their feats, it is just the beginning. “The next step for us is to double down on what we have, continue our product development, and then we are hoping to launch by the end of this year,” Nino, Sekofia’s Co-Founder & COO, expressed. “We can start scaling from there, across Nigeria and many more countries in Africa.”

From hackathon heroes to global champions: Sekofia’s journey to a winning streak

In February 2024, TechGyant witnessed how the Sekofia team’s journey began with their innovation outing participation in the 2024 ALU International Health Entrepreneurship Hackathon. After intense brainstorming and idea development, they emerged as the overall winner, securing USD 5,000 in seed funding for their solution out of over 100 students from nine African universities to tackle their chosen pressing healthcare challenge.

Since then, they have already been incubated and backed by the Mastercard Foundation Entrepreneurship Fund, Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, African Impact Initiative Pre-Incubation Program and more.

With EUR 2,000 in seed funding and an additional EUR 1,000 worth of post-programme coaching now under their belt from their latest victory, Sekofia is positioned for much more growth in market entry, untapped revenue and attention from investors.

The future of Sekofia

As the sun sets on the WorldSkills Conference in Lyon, Ochong and Nino are already looking ahead with their eyes shining with determination. With the rest of their diverse and talented team including Adediwura Adedigba as Product Lead, Princess Asare as Marketing Strategist, Esther Habimana as Software Engineer, Dr. Cyril Ombok as Medical Expert and Cumi Oyemike as Software Engineer, they embark on the next phase of their ambitious plans not only carrying a prestigious award, but also the hopes and dreams of a continent ready for change.

The story of Sekofia is rooted in personal experiences and driven by a passion to improve millions of lives in Africa and set a new standard for health insurance management in the digital age.