Copyright businessday
Nigeria’s fast-rising health technology startup, MARMAR, has emerged winner of the Meta Llama Impact Accelerator 2025, taking home the top national prize of $25,000 and earning a spot to represent the country at the AI Summit 2025 in Dubai this November. The startup, founded by a team of young innovators, is building an AI-native electronic medical record and mobile platform designed to eliminate medication errors in hospitals and homes. Its solution uses Meta’s large language model, Llama, to bridge critical gaps in healthcare delivery, ensuring safer prescribing, accurate documentation, and better patient outcomes. The Meta Llama Impact Accelerator 2025, launched earlier this year, brought together some of Sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising founders applying AI to solve pressing challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture, public safety, and public services. The six-week program culminated in Demo Day events across Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa, where 40 startups showcased groundbreaking ideas before investors, mentors, and policymakers. In Nigeria, Purple Labs clinched second place with $15,000 for its MediSync project, an AI-powered diagnostic tool designed to transform patient care. DAWN AI Study came third with $10,000 for its inclusive learning platform that uses AI for early assessment and emotional-cognitive support in classrooms. According to Balkissa Ide Siddo, Meta’s director for public policy across Sub-Saharan Africa, the initiative is a key step toward nurturing homegrown AI talent and scalable innovations that reflect Africa’s realities. “The Meta Llama Impact Accelerator 2025 has been instrumental in fostering a new wave of AI innovation across Sub-Saharan Africa, in close collaboration with national ministries and local partners. We are incredibly proud of the groundbreaking solutions developed by these startups, which demonstrate the immense potential of AI to address critical challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture, public services, and public safety within their communities and beyond,” Siddo said. The program received over 1,400 applications from across the region, with only 40 startups selected to participate. Throughout the accelerator, participants engaged in tailored business and technical sessions, including mentorship from Meta engineers, AI specialists, investors, and industry coaches to refine their go-to-market strategies and scalability plans. Demo Day marked the culmination of the accelerator’s first phase, with national winners from Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa, sharing a combined $50,000 in funding and advancing to compete for up to $100,000 in regional funding at the upcoming AI Summit 2025 in Dubai (November 3–4, 2025). Other country winners include Kajou from Senegal, recognized for delivering offline AI-powered e-learning for community health workers; eFama from South Africa, connecting farmers and buyers through an AI-powered marketplace; and DPE from Kenya, transforming public health communication through localized, AI-driven messaging. Beyond the competition, all participating startups will continue to receive six months of post-program support, including business advisory, technical assistance, access to Meta’s AI tools, and investor linkages to help them scale their impact.
