Nigeria’s push for a stronger, innovation-driven health ecosystem gained major momentum on Thursday as the Society for Family Health (SFH), through its enterprise arm, SFH Access, unveiled the CoElevate Catalytic Fund, a new financing and support mechanism designed to accelerate homegrown solutions in HealthTech, WASH, pharmaceutical research, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Launched at SFH’s Lagos office, the CoElevate Fund will provide early-stage innovators with milestone-based grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, alongside equity investments, technical mentorship, regulatory support, and access to SFH’s extensive national infrastructure. The fund will run two competitive cycles annually.
Pharm. Dennis Aizobu, managing director of SFH Access, described CoElevate as the beginning of a new chapter in West Africa’s innovation history, stressing that Nigerian innovators often struggle not from lack of competence but from a lack of exposure, systems, and enabling structures. He said the fund was created to remove the long-standing barriers that prevent promising ideas from scaling.
According to Aizobu, no health system can thrive without innovation, noting that CoElevate provides the critical combination of capital, technical support, and platform access needed to turn early ideas into scalable solutions. He added that SFH’s 40-year legacy in technology, supply chains, product development, and national distribution offers startups infrastructure that would otherwise cost billions of naira to replicate.
Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, chairperson of the SFH Access Board, said the initiative represents a landmark step toward strengthening equitable access to healthcare and empowering the next generation of innovators. He praised the platform for recognising the potential of young Nigerians and creating pathways for them to transform communities through targeted innovation.
Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, SFH managing director, highlighted the depth of infrastructure the organisation is opening to startups, from cloud-based digital systems and API development capacity to a 7,000-square-meter pharmagrade warehouse, 22 satellite warehouses, and a nationwide supply chain capable of moving health products from Lagos to anywhere in Nigeria.
Idogho said SFH’s longstanding credibility with regulators, CDMOs, and health partners will help accelerate R&D outcomes and market entry for innovators.
Dr. Victoria Egunjobi, who represented the Lagos State Ministry of Health, commended SFH for introducing the fund at a time when many innovators face limited opportunities, describing it as a catalyst for life-changing local solutions.