SFH unveils CoElevate Catalytic Fund, sets agenda for Nigeria’s generation of health innovators

By Chioma Obinna

Nigeria’s ambition to build a stronger, innovation-driven health system took a decisive leap yesterday as the Society for Family Health, SFH, through its enterprise arm SFH Access, launched the CoElevate Catalytic Fund.

CoElevate Catalytic Fund is a pioneering mechanism designed to accelerate homegrown solutions in HealthTech, WASH, pharmaceutical R&D, and non-communicable diseases.

The CoElevate Catalytic Fund will provide $5,000–$10,000 milestone-based grants, 15–20 percent equity investments, technical and regulatory support, access to pilot sites, and a 24-month portfolio management programme designed to strengthen innovation pipelines.

Also, two competitive cycles will run annually, targeting solutions with strong public-health value, gender inclusivity, and scalability.

The high-level launch, held at SFH’s Lagos office, drew innovators, policymakers, funders, and development partners who hailed the fund as one of the most strategic interventions yet in unlocking Nigeria’s health innovation potential.

From the outset, SFH Access Managing Director, Pharm. Dennis Aizobu, described the initiative as a watershed moment.

“This is the beginning of a new chapter in West Africa’s innovation history,” Aizobu declared, emphasising that Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of talent but from persistent barriers that stifle breakthrough ideas.

“Brilliant ideas fail here not because innovators lack competence, but because they lack exposure, capital, systems, and support. CoElevate was intentionally designed to close these gaps.”

He added that no health system can thrive without continuous innovation. “The fund offers access to mentorship, access to support, access to capital, and access to platforms that will ensure scale,” he said.

According to him, Africans must invest in Africa, and CoElevate will run two funding cycles annually, combining milestone-based grants, equity investments, mentorship, and access to SFH’s 40-year operational infrastructure.

The Chairperson of the SFH Access Board, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, described CoElevate as a historic step toward expanding equitable healthcare access.

“This launch is a stepping stone toward a healthier, more innovative, and more resilient society,” Yakasai said.

He praised the platform for “identifying, nurturing, and propelling homegrown solutions,” adding that innovation remains central to solving Africa’s complex health challenges.

Speaking, the SFH’s Managing Director, Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, highlighted the unmatched infrastructure SFH brings to the table—technology systems, supply-chain networks, regulatory expertise, and brand-building capability.

“What we bring is far more valuable than funding. We bring tested systems, market access, regulatory experience, and a nationwide distribution capability that can push innovative products to communities where they are most needed.”

He explained that SFH’s 7,000-square-meter pharmagrade warehouse, its 22 satellite warehouses, and national logistics network give innovators an engine for rapid scale. With cloud-based digital systems built on Azure and AWS, and a track record of developing APIs and digital tools, SFH is offering deep technical leverage to young companies.

Idogho said success must be defined by measurable improvements in maternal mortality, immunisation, and access to essential services. “If the innovations we support reduce maternal deaths and strengthen immunisation, then we have succeeded.”

Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Victoria Egunjobi applauded SFH for introducing the catalytic fund at a critical moment.

“Innovation drives progress in every functional health system, but it is expensive and often impossible without enabling structures,” she said. “The CoElevate Fund will ensure homegrown ideas—whether in diagnostics, pharma, behavioural change, or system-strengthening—can be nurtured and scaled.”

She emphasised that Nigeria’s next major health breakthrough “could emerge from any state if the right mechanisms exist.”

SFH Deputy Managing Director, Dr. Jennifer Anyanti, said the fund was deliberately created without a rigid financial ceiling.

“Many brilliant concepts struggle not because they lack potential but because entrepreneurs underestimate the infrastructure required to execute,” she said. “Once an idea is sound and properly designed, the funding will always find its way.”

Anyanti noted that CoElevate will correct structural gaps that have long limited life-science innovation in Nigeria. “We are building innovators who will build others,” she said, stressing that SFH’s partnership culture remains one of its strongest assets.

SFH Access Advisory Board member, Dr. Onyeka Uche Ofili, described the programme as bold and transformative.

“Innovation should not be driven only by profit—it must be driven by the desire to solve real societal challenges,” he said. “Ideas grounded in real needs tend to survive, attract funding, and scale sustainably.”

Founder of Syndicate Bio, Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, underscored the magnitude of the intervention.

“SFH is one of the hidden secrets in Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem,” he said. “Deep tech and health innovation require infrastructure, logistics, laboratories, regulation and strong systems—elements many African innovators lack. CoElevate will play a defining role in closing these gaps.”

He stressed the importance of building “hard businesses” that can drive long-term transformation, praising SFH for evolving with the times.

With Nigeria still grappling with fragmented innovation systems, scarce early-stage financing, and heavy regulatory burdens, stakeholders at the event described CoElevate as one of the most ambitious and forward-looking commitments to health innovation in West Africa.

The SFH Access said the CoElevate Catalytic Fund will remain committed to creating opportunities for innovators, bridging critical gaps, and empowering a generation of problem-solvers determined to shape the country’s health future.

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