Two Nigerian women entrepreneurs have won the 2026 Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award for Africa, securing €25,000 each alongside six months of accelerator support to expand their businesses.
Omowunmi Christine Emmanuel-Ogah, founder of ExCare Health, and Funmilayo Ishola, co-founder of Dehydrator Hub, were among five African women selected for the award from 1,172 applications submitted globally.
The other winners are Dr. Alice Muhuhu, founder of Aurora Health Systems in Kenya; Beamlak Alemayehu, founder of Medanit Digital Health in Ethiopia; and Sokayna Bellam, founder of Jodoor in Morocco.
The five African winners form part of a global cohort of 15 women selected from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The winners were announced during a virtual media parley hosted by the Bayer Foundation and Impact Hub Network.
Nigerian women recognised for healthcare and food innovation
Emmanuel-Ogah’s ExCare Health is focused on improving access to primary healthcare by transforming community pharmacies into integrated healthcare centres.
The company currently operates five pharmacies, two laboratories and two accredited immunisation centres under the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Emmanuel-Ogah said her interest in healthcare was shaped by a family experience involving an aunt who nearly died from meningitis after the family struggled to find the required drugs across four states.
What began as a pharmacy business has since expanded into a broader healthcare operation providing diagnostics, vaccines and medication.
Ishola’s Dehydrator Hub, meanwhile, is addressing food waste and post-harvest losses through solar-powered food processing infrastructure.
The business converts agricultural waste and produce into ingredients that can be processed for export markets.
The focus comes against a major food-security challenge across Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that the continent loses about 22% of its annual food production, representing nearly $92 billion in value.
Other African winners
In Kenya, Dr. Alice Muhuhu founded Aurora Health Systems, which has developed an artificial intelligence-powered, offline-capable ECG device designed to detect more than 50 cardiac conditions.
Muhuhu said the idea emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was working in a public hospital and saw how access to diagnostic equipment could determine patient outcomes.
“Africa has the potential to build world-class technology. We should not only consume innovation, but we can create it,” she said.
In Ethiopia, Alemayehu founded Medanit Digital Health, described as the country’s first multi-channel digital health platform. The service provides healthcare through an app, web portal and national health short code.
Morocco’s Bellam founded Jodoor, which uses hydroponic farming technology to reduce water consumption.
The model is designed for areas facing increasing water stress, with agriculture accounting for more than 80% of freshwater use in the region, according to the award organisers.
Bayer Foundation offers funding and accelerator support
The Bayer Foundation said the award is intended to help women entrepreneurs move beyond recognition and gain the resources required to expand their businesses.
Jana Op Den Winkel, Communications and Programme Lead at Bayer Foundation, said the programme focuses on what entrepreneurs could achieve with access to capital, networks and business support.
The six-month accelerator programme will cover areas including investor readiness, business fundamentals and impact measurement.
The winners will also receive opportunities for international exposure, including participation in a global event in Amsterdam in October.
Chitkala Kalidas, Executive Director of Bayer Foundation, said the organisation wants to accelerate the expansion of solutions already being developed by the winners.
The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award was launched in 2021 and is now in its sixth edition.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Impact Hub Network, which operates in more than 130 locations globally. It provides non-dilutive funding, mentorship and access to international networks.
Why the award matters for Nigerian entrepreneurs
For Nigeria, the recognition of Emmanuel-Ogah and Ishola highlights the growing role of women-led businesses in addressing some of the country’s persistent challenges, particularly healthcare access and food losses.
The two ventures also illustrate different approaches to solving problems with significant economic and social consequences: expanding access to primary healthcare on one hand and improving food processing and reducing post-harvest losses on the other.
The €25,000 grant, combined with accelerator and investor-readiness support, gives both founders additional resources to develop their businesses and potentially expand their impact beyond their existing operations.
