Over the past decade, innovative, tech-enabled tools have become critical in enabling governments across Africa to address vital public sector challenges.

With funding cuts looming, a scale-up of critical innovations face the risk of getting axed.

But something we’ve learned from working across Africa and Asia is that the most meaningful innovations are born in adversity. With this backdrop in mind, at AidEx Nairobi, the conversation around technology and resilience was timely. 

As governments and funders increasingly consider this question, it is important to take stock of what actually works, to scale solutions and achieve impact at scale. Over the past decade scaling many such solutions, we have learnt that change does not result simply from introducing the latest technologies. Rather, it comes from designing systems that work in the real world, for people who need them.

First, innovation has to be grounded. Too often, solutions are introduced before problems are understood. It is vital to engage with the problem closely, understand the exact issue, and consider whether technology has a role to play at all. This often means spending time in the field – asking frontline workers what’s broken, listening to policymakers about what slows them down, observing teachers in the classroom, and speaking to parents about their lived experiences.

Second, simplicity wins. There’s no shortage of tools out there that leverage the latest technologies – but change happens from simple, practical tools that simplify people’s day-to-day tasks. Often, a tool that can send an SMS to reliably remind parents to bring their children to a health facility for their next vaccination, is far more effective than an AI-enabled predictive tool that doesn’t work on the ground.

Third, integration is the true test. Technology becomes resilient when it is embedded in the daily functioning of a system; not when it’s dependent on a single donor or digital champion. When ministers ask for the data by default, when health workers won’t do without it, when it becomes invisible infrastructure – that’s when it lasts.

Of course, none of this is easy. Building buy-in and support takes time. Scaling responsibly requires patience. And convincing partners to invest means showing value.

The real lesson from this moment is that crisis can be a catalyst for better thinking. If we focus on what matters – problems before products, and simplicity before novelty – then innovation becomes a centrepiece for how we build the future.

Read more about how we should use adversity as a signal to act, rather than a sign to retreat, in Susan Mackay’s recent piece covering the World Health Assembly in Geneva.