At OfficePhase, we see the withdrawal of USAID from African healthcare programs not just as a disruption, but as a defining moment for health organizations and innovators across the continent. For years, USAID operated not merely as a donor but as a critical pillar in Africa’s healthcare ecosystem, funding everything from HIV tracking platforms to malaria treatment scale-ups.

Now, with those systems exposed and funding pipelines shifting, the question isn’t “how do we replace USAID?” It’s “how do we lead differently?”

Here’s how African health organizations, especially those with a local presence and a vision for scalability, can leverage this transition to establish a new model for resilient, homegrown healthcare.

1. Champion Public-Private Partnerships

As national governments look inward to fill funding and infrastructure gaps, health organizations must evolve into co-creators of systems, not just service providers. This is an opportunity to step up, offer technical expertise, and embed innovation directly into national strategies.

At OfficePhase, we encourage our community to go beyond program execution and form real partnerships with public institutions, co-developing solutions that are built to last.

What this looks like:

• Supporting Ministries of Health in designing digital health programs
• Training community health workers in tech-enabled care
• Collaborating on localized maternal and child health initiatives

2. Build Ecosystems, Not Just Programs

USAID often acted as a connector by linking donors, implementers, and innovators. In its absence, health organizations can take on the role of platform builders by providing shared infrastructure to smaller players within the system.

This might mean:

• Offering procurement and logistics services to smaller health facilities
• Creating compliance frameworks or legal toolkits for healthtech startups
• Launching accelerator programs for health-based social enterprises

OfficePhase is actively exploring models within our coworking spaces by developing sector-focused platforms that assist smaller organizations in connecting to larger systems without relying on donor support.

3. Prioritize Data-Driven Impact

In the donor era, anecdotal success sometimes sufficed. Not anymore. In today’s landscape, clear, credible, and consistent data is the currency for influence, investment, and policy alignment.

This is a moment for health organizations to:

• Launch real-time dashboards showing program outcomes
• Publish data reports that influence policy decisions
• Create visual, accessible summaries of their community impact

Our network at OfficePhase includes several data science and analytics teams who are already working with healthcare clients to build such tools, because storytelling through data is no longer optional.

4. Innovate New Financing Models

While USAID may be gone, the capital landscape is far from closed. From development impact bonds to blended finance models, health organizations can now present themselves as investable social infrastructure.

Some opportunities we’ve seen through our OfficePhase partners:

• Healthtech startups raising through revenue-based financing
• NGOs collaborating with banks to pilot community health insurance products
• Clinics using crowdfunding to upgrade medical equipment

The message is clear: those who diversify their capital stack will thrive.

5. Design With the End User in Mind

One of the pitfalls of donor-driven systems was the tendency to over-engineer solutions. Now is the time for community-led product design, where nurses, pharmacists, and patients are not just users but co-creators.

This includes:

• Co-developing voice-based interfaces for low-literacy users
• Launching offline-first tools for remote clinics
• Building feedback loops directly into mobile health applications

At OfficePhase, we’ve seen startups succeed when they embed user research into product development from day one. It’s how real adoption happens and how trust is built.

6. Step Into Policy Leadership

Finally, as regulatory frameworks evolve, health organizations have an opportunity to shape the rules, not just follow them. This is especially critical in areas like data privacy, cross-border telemedicine, and ethical AI in diagnostics.

Action points:

• Join national and regional digital health advisory groups
• Publish white papers that inform regulation
• Convene cross-sector roundtables that include policymakers and entrepreneurs

OfficePhase stands ready to provide the platform for such conversations. Our space isn’t just physical, it’s strategic.

The Way Forward

The vacuum left by USAID is real, but so is the opportunity. We believe this is the moment when Africa’s health ecosystem matures into a more self-reliant, innovation-driven force.

At OfficePhase, we’re committed to supporting health organizations that want to lead with clarity, build with communities, and operate with sustainability at their core.

Let’s not wait for the next donor to arrive. Let’s build the systems we know our continent deserves.