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Neonatal incubators adapted to the African context.
African start-ups are gradually imposing themselves as key players in the search for solutions adapted to local realities and the challenges of the continent. During the 4e Edition of the intra-African trade fair (IATF 2025), several young innovative companies have highlighted their products and their ambition to expand their presence beyond their national markets.
Among the exhibiting companies, General Biotech, a Cameroonian start-up specializing in the manufacture of neonatal incubators adapted to the African context. Its founder, Stephen Mouafo Foguieng, recalls that the neonatal mortality rate in Africa remains very high, reaching 7.2 %. An alarming figure which illustrates the difficulties encountered by hospitals and health centers, often faced with prolonged electricity cuts. “Even when a service has an impact imported from the West, a power failure of several days can lead to the death of the newborn,” he said.
To meet this challenge, General Biotech has designed a solar incubator with a 72 -hour autonomy thanks to its integrated battery. This innovative equipment ensures the continuity of care, even in the event of a prolonged cut, and is positioned as a solution designed by and for Africa.
Beyond its energy resilience, the incubator has unique features. It allows, for example, parents to follow the condition of their child remotely via a mobile application, wherever they are in the world. In addition, the integration of artificial intelligence makes it possible to collect and analyze the vital parameters of the baby (temperature, weight, oxygen saturation). The AI then provides diagnostic proposals to doctors, who however keep the final decision.
The company has also developed a transport incubator, essential when newborns must be transferred to better equipped establishments. Thanks to an adaptable power supply to the cigarette lighter of a vehicle, the device works even in the absence of a specialized ambulance. General Biotech also incorporates phototherapy solutions, to effectively treat neonatal yellows without resorting to traditional sun exposure methods.
If the start-up is already located in Cameroon and begins to deliver to Central Africa, its ambitions go far beyond. “Our objective is to further develop our production factory and, ultimately, to open another in Algeria,” says Stephen Mouafo Foguieng.
The growing demand confirms this potential. In 2024, the company manufactured 76 equipment when the needs expressed exceeded 786 units, in Central Africa alone. “We are slowly moving forward, but we need a boost to respond to the rate,” adds the founder, who calls for investment and partnerships to accelerate production.
Participation in the IATF illustrates the desire of General Biotech and other young African companies to find technical and financial partners to support their expansion. The stake is twofold: meet the pressing needs of populations and demonstrate that innovations designed in Africa can be deployed on the continent.
By highlighting concrete solutions to public health and infrastructure problems, African start-ups prove that they are not only emerging economic actors, but real drivers of sustainable development.