Across Africa, innovative health solutions are helping communities tackle some of the continent’s most pressing health challenges, but many proven interventions struggle to move beyond the communities where they were developed.

This challenge is one of the issues Gatefield plans to examine at its 2026 Health Summit, scheduled for October 21 and 22 in Abuja, where policymakers, health innovators and other stakeholders will discuss how successful health solutions can be expanded across the continent.

The summit, themed “Scaling What Works,” comes amid growing concerns about premature mortality and the ability of African health systems to translate successful interventions into solutions that can serve larger populations.

Africa does not necessarily lack health innovations. Grassroots networks, digital health platforms, local clinics and other interventions are already helping communities address healthcare challenges. However, funding constraints, fragmented supply chains, policy barriers and rigid financing models can prevent these solutions from achieving wider impact.

According to Gatefield, the challenge is therefore not only developing effective health interventions, but creating the institutional support needed to take them to scale.

Public Health Lead at Gatefield, Omei Bongos said many high-impact solutions across the continent were being held back by gaps in financing and policy.

“Effective, high-impact health solutions are already thriving across Africa,” Bongos said.

“However, their growth is stalled by a missing institutional backbone, from essential capital to conducive policy frameworks.”

She said bringing stakeholders across the health ecosystem together could help move successful interventions beyond isolated communities and into wider populations.

A major highlight of the two-day summit will be the launch of Gatefield’s new longevity report, which examines factors driving premature mortality across Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria.

The report is expected to inform discussions around how African health systems can move beyond responding to illness towards preventing disease and supporting longer, healthier lives.

The summit will also examine food and agricultural systems as part of the response to rising non-communicable diseases, as well as the role of digital health in improving access to care.

Creative industries, including film and digital culture, will also feature in the discussions, with organisers seeking to explore how storytelling and popular culture can support health campaigns and encourage behavioural change.

Confirmed speakers include Dr Siddhartha Prakash, Head of Global Health at the World Intellectual Property Organisation; Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Health Committee; Shina Arogundade, Chief Executive Officer of MyItura; Dr Osita Okonkwo, Country Director at Nutrition International; and Dr Jamila Yakubu, Director, Programme Medicines at Zipline.

Other global health leaders, policymakers and innovators are expected to participate.

Gatefield said the summit would seek to move the conversation beyond identifying health challenges towards building partnerships, policies and financing models capable of delivering proven solutions at scale.

The event will hold at Maha Events Centre, Area 8, Abuja, from October 21 to 22, with virtual participation also available.