For its groundbreaking work in sustaining global health systems in a year of geopolitical turbulence, Xenco Medical has been awarded the prestigious Excellence in Governance and Leadership for Global Challenges Award by the World Economic Forum for its role in one of Kenya’s most ambitious women’s health efforts to date. The company’s recognition is tied largely to its leadership in the Afya Dada Project, a national initiative to strengthen breast and cervical cancer care.
The World Economic Forum describes Afya Dada, meaning “Health for Sisters” in Swahili, as a model for government-led, community-centered health system transformation. The program has quickly become a critical component of Kenya’s cancer prevention infrastructure. Xenco Medical’s partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Health, along with its funding and governance involvement, helped establish the initiative during a period of significant disruption in the country’s health financing landscape.
This award adds to a high-profile year for the pioneering medical technology company. Xenco Medical was named the Medical Device/Diagnostics Company of the Year at the 2025 PM360 Trailblazer Awards in New York City, and it earned the rare distinction of being named one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies for the second time. Both recognitions highlight Xenco’s ongoing work in biomimetic implants, regenerative biomaterials and AI-enabled surgical systems.
The Afya Dada Project that earned Xenco Medical the esteemed award for leadership from the World Economic Forum emerged at a moment of international urgency. In 2025, the elimination of more than $240 million in U.S. health aid, including $3.3 million earmarked annually for cervical cancer screening and treatment, left Kenya facing gaps in workforce capacity, HPV vaccination programs, and early detection services. With cervical cancer remaining one of the country’s leading causes of cancer death, the Ministry of Health sought partners able to provide both financial relief and long-term infrastructure support.
In response, the World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health convened a multisector coalition that included Xenco Medical, Siemens Healthineers, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Within this group, Xenco Medical took on a major role in governance, resource mobilization, and long-range program planning, responsibilities that the WEF cited as central to its award decision.
Afya Dada’s 14-month plan, spanning July 2025 to October 2026, aims to expand early detection, broaden diagnostic capacity, streamline referral systems and train large segments of the country’s cancer care workforce. The project is built on four pillars: workforce development, early screening and diagnosis, community engagement, and strengthened referral pathways. Thousands of health workers, including nurses, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists, community health assistants and health promoters, are being trained through a cascade model supported by updated national curricula. The curriculum overhaul began in July 2025, when U.S. experts worked with Kenyan officials to redesign breast and cervical cancer training materials based on emerging global evidence.
Xenco Medical’s role spans funding, operational strategy and the deployment of its technical expertise. Founder and CEO Jason Haider described the initiative earlier this year as an effort to leverage “the boundless potential of science to transform the lives of cancer patients.” The company’s participation, WEF officials noted, helped ensure the coalition operated with the governance, accountability and resource stability necessary for national-scale implementation.
The World Economic Forum highlighted four factors behind Xenco’s selection: its leadership during Kenya’s health financing crisis, its sustained commitment to women’s health equity, its effectiveness in collaborating with government and global health stakeholders, and its delivery of measurable, evidence-based training outcomes. These outputs align with Kenya’s goal of reducing breast and cervical cancer mortality by one-third by 2028.
As global health systems brace for continued economic strain, Afya Dada is drawing attention as a functional model of public–private collaboration. For Xenco Medical, the World Economic Forum’s recognition signals more than a corporate milestone. It reflects the company’s expansion from medical device innovator to broader global health systems partner, one combining technological advancement with governance and long-term capacity-building.
Kenya’s effort to reduce preventable cancer deaths is still unfolding, but the Afya Dada Project is already being watched closely by international health leaders. The program, and the coalition behind it, may offer a blueprint for future partnerships tackling complex global health challenges.
