8th Conference Highlights
The African Palliative Care Association (APCA), in partnership with Global Treehouse, the Cambridge Africa Programme, and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), proudly hosted the first-ever APCA Radical Innovations Challenge during the African Palliative Care Conference held in Gaborone, Botswana, in September 2025.
This groundbreaking initiative was launched to spark bold, creative ideas that can transform palliative care and bereavement support across Africa. Recognising the urgent need for accessible, equitable, and high-quality care for people with serious illnesses, APCA invited individuals and teams to share innovative approaches that could be scaled, replicated, or adapted across diverse contexts.
Why the Challenge Was Launched
Across Africa, palliative care providers face persistent barriers — from limited resources and workforce shortages to fragmented health systems. The Radical Innovations Challenge was designed to disrupt the status quo, encouraging “blue-sky thinking” that reimagines how care can be delivered.
For APCA and its partners, innovation means more than technology. It includes creating, adopting, or adapting new ways of working — whether through policies, community-led models, or creative practices — that make care more effective, inclusive, and compassionate. The initiative called for ideas that enhance the quality, accessibility, and equity of care for individuals and families affected by serious illness, including children and adolescents.
Who Participated and How Many
The call attracted an impressive pool of applications from innovators across the continent, including clinicians, technologists, researchers, and community leaders. Ten teams were invited to participate in the competition, with eight finalists presenting their innovations in person during the conference. Each presentation showcased ingenuity and commitment to improving access and quality of care, reflecting the diversity and creativity of Africa’s palliative care community.
All eight presenting finalists will receive access to mentorship from APCA and partner organisations to help refine their models and further develop their ideas.
Celebrating the Winners
First Place: Nabunje Diana Lubega (Uganda)
The winner of the inaugural challenge is Nabunje Diana Lubega, a software engineer and project manager at MRT IT Peaks Ltd, whose work demonstrates the transformative potential of technology in healthcare.
Her team’s innovation, mPallCare, is a digital health platform designed to strengthen care delivery for people with life-limiting illnesses. By integrating mobile and web-based technologies, mPallCare enables seamless communication among healthcare teams, improves patient tracking, and enhances access to information and support for families.
Nabunje’s vision is to leverage digital tools to make palliative care more accessible and responsive across Africa. Her colleague Njuki Patrick represented her at the event, where Dr. Eve Namisango, APCA’s Programmes and Research Manager, presented the cash prize on behalf of APCA and the prize committee. The winning team will also receive tailored mentorship to support continued growth and implementation.
Second Place (Certificate of Recognition): Zama Ndlazi (South Africa)
Second place was awarded to Dr. Zama Ndlazi, a medical officer at a long-term psychiatric hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. Her innovation focuses on integrating palliative care within mental health services — a groundbreaking approach that bridges two often separate areas of care. By embedding palliative principles in psychiatric settings, her model seeks to restore dignity and holistic support for some of the most marginalised individuals in society.
Third Place (Certificate of Recognition): Nuhamin Tekle Gebre (Ethiopia)
Third place went to Dr. Nuhamin Tekle Gebre, a physician and palliative care researcher who advises Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health. Her digitally enabled home-based palliative care model turns basic mobile phones into powerful tools, empowering community health workers to track symptoms, access adaptive decision support, and connect with specialists remotely. This low-cost, scalable approach represents a leap forward for equitable, technology-assisted care in low-resource settings.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next
The Radical Innovations Challenge marks only the beginning of a broader effort to cultivate a culture of innovation within African palliative care. Following the competition, APCA and its partners will continue engaging with the finalists and other regional collaborators, exploring opportunities for partnership and learning exchanges, and providing mentorship, where required, to take their innovations forward.
The goal moving forward is to build on the momentum generated in Botswana, deepening collaboration with organisations and innovators who share a commitment to improving care experiences across Africa. Through these ongoing partnerships, APCA hopes to sustain the spirit of creativity and practical problem-solving that defined this inaugural event.
As Dr. Eve Namisango reflected:
“The global need for high-quality palliative care is immense, and addressing the access challenges requires bold solutions. The APCA Radical Innovations Challenge was launched to spark precisely these kinds of transformative ideas — those that ensure greater quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of care for all.”
The success of this inaugural competition highlights the creativity, expertise, and passion driving Africa’s palliative care community. By connecting innovators with mentors and resources, APCA and its partners are paving the way for sustainable, locally led solutions that will continue to improve lives across the continent.
Link to e-booklet with a short write up on the Finalists and other commendable Innovations
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