Cimas Health Group Chief Information Officer, Akaketwa
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Cimas Health Group’s annual Healthathon has grown beyond a competition into a national platform for digital health innovation, bringing together Zimbabwean innovators to develop practical solutions to some of the country’s pressing healthcare challenges.
Cimas Health Group Chief Information Officer, Foster Akaketwa, said this ahead of the Healthathon 3.0 grand finale set for this Friday, August 28, 2026, at the Group’s head office in Borrowdale, Harare.
The Healthathon 3.0 is being held under the theme “Reimagining Healthcare Through Disruptive Innovation.”
It (Healthathon) is part of Cimas Health Group’s broader drive to promote innovation capable of making healthcare more accessible, affordable, efficient and responsive to community needs.
The challenge seeks technology-driven solutions to challenges including affordability constraints, limited access to healthcare services, fragmented data systems, delays in service delivery, low uptake of preventive healthcare, operational inefficiencies and rising healthcare costs.
Now in its third edition, Healthathon 3.0 attracted 372 submissions from innovators, start-ups, researchers, students and emerging technology enthusiasts from across Zimbabwe.
Akaketwa said the strong response demonstrated both the depth of Zimbabwean talent and growing interest in using technology to transform healthcare.
“This year’s Cimas Healthathon 3.0 has once again provided a national platform for innovators to develop technology-driven solutions to some of Zimbabwe’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
“We received impressive 372 submissions, which is an increase from last year, and this demonstrates that there is both a strong appetite and considerable capability among Zimbabwean innovators to contribute to solving healthcare challenges,” he said.
Akaketwa added that the diversity of submissions was particularly encouraging, with innovators developing solutions covering diagnostics, preventive healthcare, artificial intelligence, rural healthcare, rehabilitation, data protection and emergency response.
“The solutions we have seen this year have been particularly encouraging because of their diversity. They cover areas ranging from diagnostics and preventive healthcare to artificial intelligence, rural healthcare, rehabilitation, data protection and emergency response.”
Following the initial assessment of the 372 submissions, the competition went through successive stages of screening, presentations, mentorship and solution refinement.
The field was narrowed to the top 20, then the top 15, before the final 10 teams were selected to compete at Friday’s grand finale.
Akaketwa said mentorship has been a key component of the process, allowing participants to move beyond initial concepts and develop solutions with a stronger understanding of real-world healthcare requirements.
“Each of the top 15 teams was assigned a mentor. The mentors worked with the teams to challenge their assumptions, strengthen their research, understand healthcare workflows, refine their solutions and think through what would be required to take those solutions into implementation,” added Akaketwa.
The top 15 teams subsequently presented their refined solutions, with 10 securing places in the grand finale.
And at the finale, the finalists will pitch their innovations to a judging panel comprising Cimas Health Group leadership and external experts from the healthcare, technology, innovation and industry sectors.
The overall winner will receive US$3 500, while the second and third placed teams will receive US$2 000 and US$1 500 respectively.
Akaketwa however said the significance of the Healthathon went beyond the prize money, with the initiative seeking to create a pathway for promising ideas to move into further validation, incubation, partnerships or potential pilot programmes.
“Our Healthathon is about identifying innovations that have the potential to create real healthcare impact. So, beyond the monetary prizes, participants stand to gain something even more valuable, the opportunity to have their innovations considered for piloting with Cimas Health Group and to contribute to shaping the future of healthcare in Zimbabwe,” he said.
He further revealed that the ultimate measure of the Healthathon’s success would not be the number of submissions received or the teams that emerge victorious, but whether the ideas generated can eventually improve people’s experiences of healthcare.
“For us, the real success of Healthathon will be when an idea developed through this challenge moves beyond the competition and begins making a measurable difference in people’s lives. That is ultimately what innovation should be about, and it is closely aligned with our purpose of inspiring healthier communities,” he said.
