The pitch contest saw 24 tech startups from Africa and Japan go head-to-head in an impressive battle of technological innovation, business models and social impact.

The event headline was Africa/Japan Startups Pitch: Innovation and New Partnership for SDGs.

The competition was organised by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

The startups were selected through a call for applications opened in May this year.

After receiving over 500 applications from across Africa, the organisers carried out a strict selection process which involved online interviews, due diligence and background checks.

The seven best startups were selected out of 24 competing teams (which were drawn from across the world) based on specific criteria to participate in the pitch event.

At the end of the jury deliberation, three startups were each awarded by three sponsoring companies.

Health Direct Global, an Accra Digital Centre and Oracle nurtured Ghanaian health-tech company won the Japan Prize for Business Model, Innovation and Scalability.

The GODEP startup company provides a multi-sided platform that leverages A.I. [artificial intelligence] and biometric-based Electronic Health Records to match users to Health Service Providers in real-time and a blockchain-based payments infrastructure to provide alternative healthcare financing for urban, peri-urban and people at the bottom of the pyramid.

Casky, a Moroccan safety IoT-enabled personal road safety device for motorbikes won the Marubeni Prize for Logistics and Mobility and Chefaa from Egypt which provides a prescription based solution that helps patients order, schedule & refill their recurring medicine in a GPS-enabled 3-step user journey won the AAIC-sponsored Prize for Social Innovation.

The Ghana-Oracle Digital Enterprise Program (GODEP) is a unique acceleration program for startups that puts vast technology and business resources of Oracle behind emerging businesses to help them scale and succeed.

The programme which does not take equity was launched by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on April 4, 2019 in Accra and has already made a stop in Kumasi with the next selection of startups to be held in Tamale in October 2019.

The programme is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications and executed through the Accra Digital Centre.

It is worth stating that Health Direct Global is one of the GODEP startups selected to be showcased at Oracle Open World 2019 in San Francisco from 16 -19 September, 2019.