ABUJA, NIGERIA — Highlighting the rising prominence of regional healthtech innovation, hubpharm africa wins top prize honors and $30,000 in equity-free cash at the 2nd ECOWAS Startup Awards.
The Lagos-based clinical pharmacy and chronic care management platform secured the highest spot out of a $65,000 total regional prize pool. Senegalese startup Gaynako won the $20,000 second prize, while Côte d’Ivoire’s My Opinion received the $15,000 third prize. Baykart of The Gambia and Afrikan Coders of Cape Verde rounded out the top five finalists.
Organized by the ECOWAS Commission alongside the Pan African Alliance of Small and Medium Industries and West African investment promotion agencies, the regional competition attracted 8,679 initial registrations. Evaluators selected 60 finalists across 12 ECOWAS member states, spanning tracks in EdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, CleanTech, and Tourism.
Winners of the 2nd ECOWAS Startup Awards holding symbolic prize cheques on stage in Abuja. Source: Apex News Exclusive
How HubPharm Africa Wins Top Prize Across Key Award Categories
While hubpharm africa wins top prize acclaim, the distribution of regional awards and post-event investment opportunities reflects strong regional momentum for health technology:
Award Placement
Startup Name & Country
Cash Prize
Regional Tracks & Ecosystem Benefits
First Place
HubPharm Africa (Nigeria)
$30,000
HealthTech track winner; access to investor deal rooms up to $5M.
Second Place
Gaynako (Senegal)
$20,000
Regional finalist; 6-month mentorship and acceleration access.
Third Place
My Opinion (Côte d’Ivoire)
$15,000
Regional finalist; entry into the ECOWAS Startup Network.
Fourth / Fifth
Baykart (Gambia) / Afrikan Coders (Cape Verde)
Finalist Honors
Entry into ECOWAS Private Sector Development Academy.
Expanding Regional Access to Chronic Disease Care
Accepting the award in Abuja, Tope Kareem, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HubPharm Africa, expressed gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for validating healthtech solutions capable of scaling across the continent.
HubPharm provides clinical pharmacy consultations and streamlined medication supply services for patients managing long-term health conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and sickle cell disease. Operating for just 28 months, the company already serves over 10,200 chronic care patients across Nigeria and 11 international markets.
ECOWAS Post-Award Acceleration and Support Infrastructure
Regional leaders stressed that as hubpharm africa wins top prize recognition, the initiative aims to build resilient enterprises rather than just celebrate short-term winners. Dehpue Yenpea Zuo, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, noted that cross-border impact outweighs initial prize figures.
Peter Oluonye, Acting Director of Private Sector and Industry at the ECOWAS Commission, confirmed that the regional body will actively monitor fund utilization. Beyond cash prizes, top winners gain entry into a six-month acceleration program, investor deal rooms targeting up to $5 million in total deals, and the newly launched ECOWAS Private Sector Development Academy.
Why It Matters: A major regional body backing a chronic care healthtech company signals that pharmaceutical supply chains and chronic disease management are now viewed as investable infrastructure across West Africa.
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