Competition Part of Company's Eighty-Five Year Commitment to
Supporting Entrepreneurs, Science Education Opportunities, and
Health Systems Across the Continent
CAPE TOWN, South Africa,
March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today named the
winners of the first Africa Innovation Challenge at the Global
Entrepreneurship Congress. The initiative, which received nearly
500 submissions from innovators and entrepreneurs across the
continent, sought the best ideas for new, sustainable health
solutions that will benefit African communities. The Johnson &
Johnson Family of Companies comprises the world's largest
healthcare business and its presence in Africa dates back to 1930, including business
operations, public health programs and corporate citizenship. The
Africa Innovation Challenge is part of the company's comprehensive
approach to collaborate with and support Africa's vibrant innovation, education and
health systems institutions.
In addition to the Africa Innovation Challenge winners, the
company also announced today that it is a major partner of
Women in Innovation and the Alliance for
Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa, programs that seek to
substantially increase the number of women on the continent working
in the sciences. These announcements follow the prior week's
opening of two new Johnson & Johnson regional
offices in Ghana and
Kenya, which along with our
South Africa-based global public
health headquarters, will support health system strengthening and
public health programs.
"Africa is one of the fastest
growing regions of the world, and Johnson & Johnson is proud to
support this growth through strong collaborations that encourage
innovation and accelerate advancements in the continent's health
systems," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific
Officer, Johnson & Johnson. "We are seeing a surge of activity
among entrepreneurs and health system leaders to develop important
solutions that overcome longstanding health and societal
challenges. By working together, we hope to bring meaningful
solutions to patients and consumers more rapidly, to help cultivate
the next generation of scientists, and to support Africa's entrepreneurial base."
AFRICA INNOVATION
CHALLENGE
The Africa Innovation Challenge, launched in November 2016, solicited novel ideas with a focus
on three critical health areas: promoting early child
development and maternal health; empowering young women; and
improving family well-being. The three winning concepts embraced
these themes as well as the goal of creating ongoing, sustainable
businesses:
- PROJECT AGATEKA (Burundi)
–The development of a sustainable solution to support girls who
are unable to afford menstrual pads and underwear is an important
need for young women. Project Agateka will provide a direct health
solution as well as the opportunity for women and girls to generate
income in Burundi. With the
inclusion of health information, the initiative also provides
health education to support improved sexual and reproductive
health.
- PROJECT KERNEL FRESH (Liberia) – Project Kernel Fresh sources
natural palm kernels from smallholder women farmers, increasing
their income. The entrepreneur cold presses the palm kernel oil to
be used in organic cosmetics. The project will also create jobs for
young women by training them to sell the products throughout
Liberia.
- PROJECT PEDAL TAP (Uganda) – Seeking to prevent
disease transmission, and a reduction of water use, Project Pedal
Tap will develop hands-free solutions for hand water taps in
Uganda. The entrepreneurs will
create manufacturing capabilities, using mostly recycled materials,
which will lead to an ongoing business.
"This was an extremely difficult competition to judge as there
were many terrific ideas," said Josh Ghaim, Chief Technology
Officer, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. "The three winning
projects demonstrated a strong benefit to local communities and the
ability to empower young women, and they also have the potential to
deliver ongoing economic support. We look forward to working with
these entrepreneurs over the course of the next year to help them
build sustainable operations."
Each of the three winning recipients will receive funding as
well as mentorship from scientists, engineers, and operations
members from the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Research &
Development organization and other areas of the company.
SUPPORTING WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION CAREERS
Globally there is significant gender inequality in the
sciences. To help address this, Johnson & Johnson has
made a strong commitment to increase the number of Women in
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design
(WISTEM2D) careers. Last year, the company entered into 10
partnerships with institutions around the world to accelerate the
development of WISTEM2D careers and supported other STEM
initiatives globally.
With the sponsorship of Women in Innovation (WiIN), and through
the collaboration with the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in
Science in Africa (AESA), the
company expands its WISTEM2D commitment to Africa, where gender inequality in science and
innovation careers mirrors gaps found around the world.
WiIN is a new mentoring program that will reach 1,000 female
college graduates in Rwanda and
provide them with communication leadership skills and encourage
them to pursue a career in the sciences. The pilot program, which
will begin in 2017 and seeks to expand to other African countries,
will provide week-long, comprehensive instruction and mentorship to
recent women college graduates on how to pursue and maintain a
career in the sciences.
The AESA collaboration, which launched this month, will promote
and accelerate the development of Africa's research leadership, scientific
excellence and innovation by encouraging and supporting WISTEM2D
education and career development for young people, particularly
females across the continent. The initiative will include
entrepreneurial mentorship and internship programs for early career
researchers, challenges, and other innovation initiatives.
Throughout the year, employee volunteers from the Johnson &
Johnson Family of Companies will work with AESA to host WISTEM2D
workshops and courses geared toward coaching scientific leadership
and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.
"African millennials and entrepreneurs represent some of the
best talent in the world. Our presence at the Global Entrepreneurs
Congress here in Johannesburg and
other Africa based conferences
like the Next Einstein Forum, programs like the Africa Innovation
Challenge, and partnerships with organizations like Women in
Innovation and the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science
in Africa reflect our confidence
in Africa's women and men and
their potential to change the world through innovation," said
Seema Kumar, Vice President,
Innovation, Global Health, and Policy Communication.
NEW REGIONAL OPERATIONS IN GHANA AND KENYA
The new regional offices in Accra,
Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya
represent a novel approach to how Johnson & Johnson seeks to
develop partnerships, products and service delivery models that
address neglected and emerging health issues. Teams from the
company's consumer, medical device, pharmaceutical, global public
health and Global Community Impact (GCI) groups will be located in
a central office in each country, helping to bring an integrated
approach to improving health outcomes in the region.
"The expansion of our companies' operations in Africa allows Johnson & Johnson to
continue to build innovative, collaborative opportunities that meet
a variety of market needs, including developing new pharmaceutical
products, service delivery approaches and advocacy for health
issues impacting vulnerable communities," said Alma Scott, Head of Africa Operations and
Partnerships, Global Public Health. "Through regional engagement
with health delivery partners, we seek to support
locally-executable programs that drive health impact."
About Johnson & Johnson in Africa
The Johnson & Johnson Family
of Companies have a strong legacy in Africa. More than 80 years ago, South Africa was selected as the company's
third overseas location and has steadily expanded its footprint in
Africa to 27 countries. Today,
Johnson & Johnson operates three manufacturing plants and
employs more than 1,500 employees in Africa who serve the region's diverse health
needs through our consumer, commercial, global public health and
corporate citizenship programs.
Through innovation, collaboration and local engagement we
are:
- Cultivating Africa's
innovation through heath technology hubs
- Expanding R&D skills and capacity among African
scientists
- Catalyzing healthcare infrastructure investments
- Enhancing collaboration with local health delivery
partners
- Boosting education and training resources for healthcare
workers
- Empowering African youth to thrive and become drivers of
change
- Improving access to medicines.
About Johnson & Johnson
Caring for the
world, one person at a time, inspires and unites the people of
Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and science - bringing
innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and
well-being of people. Our approximately 126,900 employees at more
than 250 Johnson & Johnson operating companies work with
partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people
every day, throughout the world.
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