The team proposed a solution that leverages Kenya's private healthcare databases to tackle lifestyle-related diseases affecting people in Africa. How did they confront the social challenges of a rapidly developing Africa, and how did they formulate their business plan? Chief Researcher Kenichiro Yamada, Design Lead Satoko Hinomizu, and Researcher Harriet Ocharo of the Research & Development Group reflect on their journey so far.
A Business Seed Born from a Chance Discovery
Yamada: What we proposed in the Make a Difference! contest was a project to prevent lifestyle-related diseases in Kenya. We aim to provide a solution by using AI and other technologies to raise awareness about the risks of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and to encourage behavior change in Kenya.
Yamada, who serves as Team Uwezo's team leader
Hinomizu: Yamada, you came up with the original idea, didn't you?
Yamada: It all started in 2022, when I participated in an NPO project that discovers Kenyan startups tackling social challenges. I was surprised to learn that some startups managed healthcare databases covering people in Kenya. In Japan, several private companies manage healthcare databases, but there are large nationwide databases that are managed by the government.
Overseas, the absence of such databases managed by country is often the first hurdle. In Kenya, however, private enterprises have begun managing these databases to fill that gap. That discovery led me to ask whether we could build a business that benefits Kenyan society by leveraging this emerging private healthcare database.
"Kenya" as the Common Thread—How Three People Came Together
Hinomizu: When Yamada first conceived the idea, the three of us hadn't yet come together as a team. Yamada and I had worked together in the past, but we hadn't yet met Harriet.
I'd lived in Kenya between ages seven and nine and worked in Denmark, among other experiences. This led me to develop an awareness of how to create an environment where foreign national employees can work comfortably in Japan. I was conducting independent research on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and sharing the results internally, and that's when I met Harriet.
Hinomizu, who spent her early childhood in Kenya
Harriet: I had an opportunity to have lunch with Hinomizu, and I was surprised to learn she'd lived in Kenya.
Hinomizu: Harriet's home region of Kisii and the area where I lived, Kisumu, are relatively close to each other, so we had a lively conversation about Kenya. That's when I mentioned, "There's also someone at the research lab named Yamada who went to Kenya to conduct research."
Harriet: Actually, after Yamada returned from Kenya, I saw him give a presentation about Kenyan AI startups at a project debriefing. At that time, I thought, "There's someone at the company who's been to Kenya!" I was interested and tried to contact him. But Yamada seemed busy, and I didn't hear back right away [laughs].
Yamada: I'm so sorry about that! [laughs].
Hinomizu: That's how we came together as a team through a series of coincidences. My internal inclusion research was a voluntary initiative, but I never imagined it would lead to such wonderful encounters. It made me realize the importance of taking action on things that interest me or that I feel are necessary. I'm also grateful for a workplace environment that allows such voluntary activities.
Three People with Different Backgrounds Taking on the Challenge
Yamada: While all three Team Uwezo members are from the Research & Development Group, our departments and areas of expertise are completely different. I'm with the Systems Innovation Center, where I research methodologies for creating new services through co-creation activities with clients across various fields and develop supporting tools. My current research theme is building businesses as “One Hitachi” across all different business units and sectors.
Harriet: I'm from Kenya and came to Japan over ten years ago. I received a Japanese government scholarship and enrolled in a doctoral program at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Ishikawa Prefecture. After that, I joined Hitachi as a researcher, and I'm now with the Advanced AI Innovation Center, where we use AI to solve social challenges.
Harriet, who studied AI at a Japanese graduate school
Hinomizu: After working as a graphic designer in Japan and abroad, I joined Hitachi. Currently, I'm with the Design Center as a service designer, involved in new business creation across diverse themes including healthcare and regional revitalization.
The term "design" has broadened considerably in meaning, but the design I handle involves identifying challenges facing clients and society, utilizing new technologies, and devising solutions through collaboration with numerous stakeholders. My work involves advancing ideas from the user experience perspective and designing concepts for new, intangible businesses and services.
Yamada: The three of us came together and decided to apply for the 2023 Make a Difference! contest. This is an internal business plan contest open to Hitachi Group employees both in Japan and abroad, held since 2015 to promote employee mindset reform and foster a corporate culture capable of surviving global competition. We chose "Uwezo" as our team name—a Swahili word that perfectly captures our spirit, meaning "We can do it."
The Rapid Increase of Lifestyle-Related Diseases in Africa
Hinomizu: As we prepared for the contest, the three of us worked on refining our business plan. How could we realize Yamada's idea of "creating a business that solves social challenges by leveraging a healthcare database"? We began to explore that question through research.
We started with desk research. That confirmed that Kenya has a low health insurance enrollment rate and lacks a culture of regular health checkups. With Harriet’s help, Yamada's and my understanding of Kenyan society deepened dramatically, but even so, there was still much we didn't know without conducting proper research.
The three team members connected by their shared connection to Kenya
Yamada: What the research made clear was that the African region, including Kenya, is the area where the prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases is increasing most rapidly in the world. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes—one of the most common lifestyle-related diseases—is expected to affect 60 million people by 2050, representing a staggering 142% increase.
While 80% of lifestyle-related diseases are said to be preventable, a major challenge is that many people don't go for health checkups until it's too late, so they have few opportunities to recognize their own health status.
Hinomizu: Diet is also an issue. "Ugali," a traditional Kenyan staple made from cornmeal mixed with hot water, is high in carbohydrates, which is predicted to contribute to increased diabetes rates.
Yamada: Through the NPO-hosted project I mentioned earlier, I participated in an on-site visit to Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa, located in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. I witnessed firsthand people suffering from poverty and infectious diseases. However, I hadn't fully grasped the rapid increase in chronic disease patients across Africa until I conducted further research.
That's when I began thinking about whether we could create a solution business that raises awareness of chronic diseases like lifestyle-related diseases by leveraging a healthcare database. It's crucial to prevent lifestyle-related diseases from becoming severe as much as possible. To do that, people need to increase their awareness of their own health.
Exploring Kenyan People's Health Awareness
Hinomizu: However, improving lifestyle habits is challenging for anyone. To do so, messages need to be conveyed in a way that resonates emotionally. What words and in what form should we communicate to ensure the message is properly received? To develop an effective approach, we needed to deeply understand the health-related values of local people who would be our users.
Yamada: Fortunately, we won the top prize in the contest, which gave us the opportunity to conduct field research in Kenya during an incubation period toward realizing our idea. The team made several business trips and conducted interviews with local people.
Hinomizu: For example, we asked questions like "What do you eat every day?" and "What words make you think of health?" to deeply understand Kenyan people's values. This revealed that Kenya's middle class has an awareness that "eating healthy food and exercising is good for your body."
Harriet: However, what constitutes "healthy food" is the question. In Kenya, traditional foods are generally considered healthy, but as the ugali example shows, that's not necessarily true when considering modern lifestyles.
Harriet and Hinomizu hit it off during a company lunch
Hinomizu: Simply knowing that they believe “healthy eating is important” represents only a superficial understanding. By delving deeper to ask what specific behaviors they actually consider healthy, I believe we gained a much deeper understanding. Interestingly, like in Japan, some people in Kenya felt that dietary habits had changed with social development and that people were exercising less. Understanding such real-world perceptions makes it easier to judge whether our solution will be accepted.
Harriet: In Kenya's case, health awareness isn't as high as in Japan yet. Health matters are considered "personal issues," and it's difficult for others to intervene. In Japan, regular employee health checkups are conducted as an employer's obligation under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, but in Kenya, health management is considered private, and the prevailing view is that companies shouldn't be involved.
Hinomizu: Given that background, if we were to say something like "Take care of your body for your family's sake," how would that nuance be received? During field research, we verified such points to explore more appropriate ways of communicating.
Yamada: Hinomizu's expertise as a service designer was crucial in designing these questions and implementing the interviews.
The Reality of Kenya Seen Through Music and Fashion
Hinomizu: Understanding Kenyan people's values also meant it was important to experience local culture.
Yamada: For example, in Kenya, many people listen to music at high volume when riding in cars. The car we arranged during our trip had a large speaker in the trunk, making it feel like a live venue.
Harriet: Though the driver was considerate and turned down the volume for us.
Hinomizu: That driver told us that recently, shared buses called "matatu" have started playing music inside, which itself has become entertainment and is trending. The buses' exteriors are also finished in colorful, unique designs. When I showed him images of decorated trucks in Japan, the conversation really took off.
Team meetings feature discussions in a mix of English and Japanese
Yamada: I was also struck by how fashion-conscious Kenyan women are. We saw hair extension shops all over the city, far more frequently than you'd ever see in Japan.
Hinomizu: In our interviews, some people mentioned spending money on fashion rather than food.
Harriet: You know, while I'm wearing these muted tones here in the Japanese office, I'd definitely go for much more vibrant colors back in a Kenyan workplace [laughs].
Profile
Note: Titles and affiliations are as of the time of the interview.
Kenichiro Yamada
Chief Researcher
Business Architecture Research Department,
Systems Innovation Center, Digital Innovation R&D,
Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.
After joining Hitachi, Kenichiro Yamada engaged in research and development across multiple domains by utilizing optical technologies. He has promoted co-creation activities with clients in retail, smart city, and other fields. He participated in an NPO-hosted social challenge exploration project, and during a visit to Kenya, dialog with local startup companies led him to examine possibilities for medical infrastructure business in the African region and launch this project.
Satoko Hinomizu
Design Lead
UX Design Department,
Design Center, Digital Innovation R&D,
Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.
After working as a graphic designer in Japan and Denmark, Satoko Hinomizu was dispatched as an Agency for Cultural Affairs Overseas Study Program for Upcoming Artists fellow and completed an MA in the Department of New Media at Aalto University. After working as a UX designer in Finland, she joined Hitachi. She promotes co-creation activities with domestic and international clients aimed at service creation in healthcare, public sectors, and other fields. Having spent her early childhood in Kenya, she became interested in and joined this project.
Harriet Ocharo
Researcher
Social Intelligence Research Department,
Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center,
Digital Innovation R&D, Research & Development Group,
Hitachi, Ltd.
After obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science in Kenya, Harriet came to Japan on a Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology scholarship and studied in a doctoral program at graduate school. She later joined Hitachi, where as an AI-related researcher, she uses AI to solve real-world challenges. She finds this project deeply meaningful and exciting because of its potential to have a positive impact on Kenya.
