Digital Square, a PATH-led initiative, has opened its first call for Expression of Interest (EOI) for digital entrepreneurs based in Africa. The call seeks to connect local digital entrepreneurs’ solutions to financial and technical assistance and opportunities to scale. This initiative is funded as part of the Digital Health Ecosystem (DHE) project, funded by USAID and the Bayer Foundation.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to:

  • Become part of a continent-wide list that will be shared with donors, investors, and implementing partners across the globe for potential funding
  • Be alerted to third party funding opportunities
  • Access a self-assessment tool that supports organizations in becoming direct recipients of international funding

Additionally, a subset of respondents will be invited to participate in a DHE-funded request for applications. Successful applicants in the request for application round will:

  • Have access to the financial capital required to develop, deploy and implement scalable digital health products, initially be through a grants program and later through a partnership with existing donor programs and government co-investment
  • Gain visibility into existing developer communities for co-learning and collaboration
  • Know what open-source health tools exist and what is available for adaptationto save time and resources in local development
  • Have support adapting open-source solutions—even and especially from digital public goods
  • Gain increased visibility in the global health development sector
  • Grow stronger in business and operational capabilities and sustainability, as well as technical skills

This call is open to African organizations, and businesses with the following profiles:

  • Demonstrated ability to support the implementation of software tools and products
  • An interest in engaging in the digital health space of a country and willingness to work with local governments, private sector health providers, and health insurance schemes
  • Willingness to engage populations at scale, including populations that cannot directly purchase from vendors but maybe government beneficiaries
  • Team includes members with software expertise
  • Registered as a formal organization or business in the World Health Organisation Sub Saharan Africa Region, with sufficient accounting mechanisms to track revenue and expenditure

Those not selected for the initial round of grants but who apply to the EOI will automatically be considered for future funding rounds.

To submit an expression of interest for this call, visit: Call for Digital Entrepreneurs