Looking Back on Two Days of ADHS Learning, Sharing, and Building
Every year, the Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS) brings together policymakers, innovators, development partners, researchers, and technology leaders to shape the continent’s digital health future. This year’s sixth edition, held on 25 and 26 June at the Abuja Continental Hotel, was centred on a timely challenge: how Africa can move from isolated digital health pilots to solutions that are integrated, scalable and built to strengthen health systems.
For Sydani Group, ADHS 2026 was more than another conference. As a Track Partner, it was an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to conversations that are shaping the future of healthcare, showcase practical digital solutions, and share lessons from years of implementation across Nigeria.
The summit began on a memorable note as Sydani Group was recognised for its contributions to the digital health ecosystem. The recognition reflected our growing footprint in the space and commitment to designing solutions that solve real health system challenges.
That commitment was evident in the conversations we convened. During our main session, Beyond Pilots to Policy: Accelerating Digital Health Integration in Nigeria and West Africa, a distinguished panel featuring Dr. Murtala Bagana, Hon. Commissioner for Health, Niger State; Dr. Chinonso Egemba (AwaDoc); Dr. Kunle Kakanfo (AI for Social Good and Development); and Aloise Gikunda (Amref Health Africa), moderated by Dr. Joy Aifuobhokhan of Sydani Group, explored what it will take for digital health to move beyond promising innovations to sustainable national systems.
One message echoed throughout the discussion: digital tools alone do not transform health systems. Successful digital health solutions must respond to real user needs, integrate with existing government systems, minimise fragmentation, and be designed with sustainability in mind. The panel also highlighted the importance of bringing governments, regulators, innovators and ecosystem builders together to establish shared standards and prioritise interoperability from the outset.
Our conversations continued during a thought-provoking side event titled Digital Health at Crossroads: Bridging the Gap Between Digital Innovation and Health System Reality. Moderated by Godwin Lasisi, Business Development Officer at Sydani Group, the session featured Dr. Iboro Nta (Resolve to Save Lives), Iklima Musa Salihu (Tech Bridge Foundation and NITDA), Dr. Osi Kufor (Development Delivery Partners) and Akolade Jimoh (Sydani Group).
Rather than celebrating technology for its own sake, the discussion challenged participants to ask more fundamental questions. Are we solving the problems that matter most? Who are our digital solutions designed for? And how do we ensure innovation advances equity rather than widening existing gaps? It was an honest conversation that reinforced the need for evidence-informed, community-centred approaches to digital transformation.
Beyond convening conversations, we also shared evidence from our own work through three scientific presentations. Abdullahi Adegoke presented From Paper to Platform, highlighting Sydani Group’s support to the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) and our efforts to strengthen emergency medical coordination through digital systems. Daniel Azuka presented Leaving No Child Behind: The Coverage Trackr Story, demonstrating how precision immunisation tools can identify underserved communities, map households and optimise vaccination team routing to reach zero-dose and under-immunised children. Edikan Uwatt shared findings from an evaluation of the Wristband for Immunization Alert (WIA), providing evidence on its effectiveness in improving caregiver compliance and vaccine schedule adherence in Kano State.
Away from the conference halls, our exhibition booth became another space for collaboration. Visitors explored live demonstrations of our digital health solutions, including the Micro-Coverage Tracking Tool (MCTT), engaged with our team, exchanged ideas, and shared experiences from their own contexts. We also had the opportunity to visit other exhibition booths, learning from fellow organisations that are advancing digital health across Africa in different and inspiring ways.
As the summit came to a close, we were convinced that the future of digital health will be built through partnerships, evidence, thoughtful policy, and solutions designed around the realities of the people and health systems they serve.
We are proud to have contributed to these conversations and grateful to everyone who engaged with us throughout the summit. As we return to our work, we remain committed to developing and implementing digital solutions that strengthen health systems, improve service delivery, and ensure that innovation translates into measurable impact where it matters most.