Equity Group Holdings and AMREF International University (AMIU) have entered into a five-year partnership aimed at strengthening healthcare education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa.
The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see them collaborate on healthcare leadership development, professional training, research programmes and community health initiatives as they seek to address challenges facing the continent’s health sector.
The partnership brings together Equity Bank Kenya’s financial expertise, Equity Group Foundation’s (EGF) social impact programmes, Equity Afya’s healthcare initiatives, Equity Life Assurance Kenya’s insurance solutions and AMIU’s experience in health education and research.
Speaking during the signing ceremony on Tuesday, Equity Group Managing Director and CEO and Equity Group Foundation Executive Director Dr James Mwangi said the collaboration would help strengthen healthcare systems by combining financial support with specialized health expertise.
“Health cuts across every sector because good health drives productivity, and productivity creates prosperity. We have invested significantly in expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare, but we recognize that achieving meaningful impact requires working with specialized institutions,” said Dr Mwangi.
He said the partnership would also focus on developing healthcare professionals with entrepreneurial skills to enable them to establish and manage sustainable health facilities.
“Doctors and other healthcare professionals are highly skilled practitioners, but entrepreneurship requires a different set of competencies. Together, we want to develop healthcare entrepreneurs who can establish and grow sustainable health facilities supported by innovative financing solutions,” he added.
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Equity Group, AMREF University Partnership to Focus on Healthcare Entrepreneurship
AMIU Vice Chancellor Prof Joachim Osur said the partnership would address the gap between medical expertise and business skills among healthcare professionals.
He noted that many healthcare workers rely mainly on formal employment despite having skills that could be used to develop healthcare enterprises.
“The missing link has been transforming knowledge into monetized products through entrepreneurship. Many qualified healthcare professionals struggle to fully utilize their expertise because they rely solely on formal employment,” said Prof Osur.
Through the partnership, healthcare professionals will receive training aimed at helping them develop sustainable healthcare businesses while responding to community health needs.
Prof Osur said strengthening primary healthcare would be critical in improving access to services across Africa.
“Nearly 80 per cent of Africans seek healthcare at the primary healthcare level. If we transform primary healthcare, we will transform healthcare across the continent while promoting greater equity in access to health services,” he said.
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What the Partnership Will Cover
Under the agreement, AMREF International University will provide expertise in health education, curriculum development, research, capacity building and healthcare innovation.
The university will also support internships, mentorship programmes, scientific collaboration and professional training opportunities.
Equity Bank Kenya will provide support in healthcare infrastructure financing and experiential learning opportunities, while Equity Group Foundation will work on health entrepreneurship, community health programmes, climate and health initiatives, environmental conservation and humanitarian research.
Equity Life Assurance Kenya will support the partnership through insurance literacy programmes, insurance solutions and risk management expertise.
The five-year collaboration is expected to support healthcare leadership development, research and innovation while expanding opportunities for healthcare professionals to create solutions within the sector.
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