NSSF hosts inaugural pitch to strengthen healthcare solutions
The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) has hosted the first-ever ‘WeNaija Innovators Pitch’, a groundbreaking virtual event that spotlighted youth-led and community-based healthcare solutions across Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement signed by Miss Esther Anolu, the Marketing and Communications Manager, NSSF, made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.
Anolu said the pitch session brought together 168 participants, including health leaders, development partners, media, and grassroots advocates to celebrate and invest in the ideas of young changemakers.
She said the event was the grand finale of the WeNaija Impact Cohort—a four-month capacity-building programme that equipped 82 youth advocates across 26 states and 41 communities with the tools to design and implement localised health interventions.
She added that the programme reached over 1,000 Nigerians through real-time grassroots engagement.
According to her, out of 37 co-created solutions, six winning projects emerged and were awarded ₦1,000,000 each, along with structured mentorship support to scale their innovations.
She said the winning projects by Health Focus Areas include the Female Adolescent Health Category won by Adebisi Amori from Queen’s School, Ibadan, Oyo State, and Ndidi Ofiaeli from Eva Adelaja Girls Senior Secondary Grammar School, Lagos State.
“In the Maternal Health Category, Dido Iliya from Women Attending Antenatal Sessions, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Elizabeth Udah of the Women & Children Clinic, UDUTH, Sokoto, emerged winners.
“In the Health Insurance Category, Aghogho Akpoyovwaire – Sickle Cell Care Foundation, Osun State and Amina Jibril – Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Mangu LGA, Plateau State, emerged winners,” she said.
Commenting on the impact of the programme, Anolu quoted the Managing Director of NSSF, Dr Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, as describing the pitch as the beginning of real-world solutions.
“This pitch marks not just the end of a journey, but the beginning of real-world solutions. These youths have demonstrated the power of community and the potential to transform healthcare, one idea at a time,” she said.
Anolu added that distinguished panel of judges—including Prof. Heidi Larson, Uzoma Dozie, and Her Excellency Olufolake Abdulrazaq, First Lady of Kwara State—assessed the projects based on innovation, feasibility, and community relevance.
Her Excellency, Olufolake Abdulrazaq praised the depth of the solutions: “I am thrilled to see how deeply rooted these ideas are in the lived realities of local communities. These young people are not only responding to problems, they are reimagining healthcare delivery.”
The ‘WeNaija Innovators Pitch’ marks a new era in youth-led innovation, proving that with the right support, Nigerian youths are not only capable of solving local health challenges—they are redefining what’s possible.
