At the recent Africa Soft Power (ASP) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, eHealth Africa and its partners spotlighted the powerful intersection of entertainment, media, and health in advancing social impact across Africa.
During a vibrant side session titled “Edutainment: A Creative Solution for Social Impact in Africa,” health experts, media practitioners, and communication leaders explored how the creative and entertainment industries can collaborate with the health sector to drive transformative and scalable change on the continent.
The session was co-hosted and moderated by Ota Akhigbe, Director of Partnerships and Programs at eHealth Africa, and Mary Edoro, Chief of Staff and Head of Strategies at BellaNaija.
Featured panelists included Enock Musyoka, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Reach Digital Health; Nelson Aseka, Founder and CEO of AIfluence; and Jay Shapiro, CEO of Usiku Games. Also presenting were Dr. Christabel Gero from the Population Council’s GIRL Center and Bridget Deacon from SHUJAAZ, who shared preliminary findings from research into digital Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) platforms.
The session focused on how creative media is influencing health behavior change among African youth, and how emerging technologies—particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbots—are being integrated into public health campaigns to enhance accessibility and engagement.
Panelists emphasized the critical role of peer influence, community trust, and authentic storytelling in driving behavior change and fostering safer, more inclusive digital spaces.
Speaking during the event, Ota Akhigbe stressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration, especially as Africa continues to adopt digital health solutions in underserved communities.
“It’s far more powerful for ten organizations to come together to create something transformative that outlives and outlasts them, rather than for each to work in isolation,” she said.
Mary Edoro highlighted the strategic role of media in health and development campaigns:
“Beyond pictures and curated videos, we need to focus on the story we’re telling to the rest of the world,” she said, underscoring the value of intentional media strategy in communicating impact.
Nelson Aseka discussed the integration of AI with localized approaches to behavior change:
“AI should not be seen as a complex robot aiming to replace jobs. It’s a tool that enhances efficiency, freeing up time,” he said, adding that AIfluence’s youth-led, consumer insight-driven model ensures messaging resonates meaningfully with target audiences.
Enock Musyoka praised eHealth Africa’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and digital innovation:
“Seeing what different organizations are already doing, and how analog processes are being transformed into digital formats, shows there is potentially greater impact in working together,” he noted.
A recurring theme throughout the session was the power of storytelling in reaching young people with relatable, visual, and authentic content. Speakers emphasized the need to meet youth where they are—both digitally and culturally—by designing solutions that are youth-led and insight-driven.
The session concluded with calls to form a consortium partnership, aimed at harnessing storytelling not merely as entertainment but as a strategic tool for education, community engagement, and empowerment.
As a leader in digital health innovation, eHealth Africa reaffirmed its commitment to fostering cross-sector collaboration to build resilient, inclusive health systems rooted in African realities.
