By Bisi Bamishe
Magdalene is a proposed $10 billion African development designed to bring together healthcare, wellness, research, technology, education and sports within an integrated ecosystem. The initiative is powered by Myschool Academy and backed by the African Sovereign Wealth Fund.
The project aims to expand access to healthcare, develop local talent and support research and technological innovation, beginning in Taraba State. Its five interconnected pillars are: Health, Wellness, Research, Technology and Sport.
At the centre of Magdalene’s healthcare vision is Family Doctor Inc., whose broader mission is to expand access to early healthcare support within African homes through trained family and community-level health workers supported by technology and professional medical systems.
According to Elijah Watendo, Founder, Family Doctor Inc., “Magdalene is not being built simply as another hospital or medical facility. We are building an ecosystem around the African patient — from early healthcare support in the home, to specialised care, rehabilitation, wellness, research and advanced healthcare services. Our goal is to make quality healthcare more accessible to ordinary Africans while creating an environment where African medical professionals, researchers and technology developers can build the future of healthcare here on the continent.”
Magdalene seeks to demonstrate that African cities can integrate healthcare, human potential, science, technology, education, transportation, culture and sport into one ecosystem. Magdalene is being developed as an African project beginning in the highlands of Mambilla, Taraba State, with the goal to create a destination where people can come for healthcare, stay for wellness and experience the Mambilla Plateau.
The city is designed to bring healthcare facilities together with research institutions, educational programmes, technology companies, wellness infrastructure, sports facilities and innovation-driven businesses.
The ambition is to create an ecosystem where a patient can receive care, a researcher can develop a medical solution, a student can train, an engineer can build technology and an entrepreneur can develop a company within the same environment.
Also, Magdalene is partnering with African Language Intelligence (ALI) to integrate African language technology into the healthcare ecosystem.
The partnership will support the promotion of Magdalene and the wider region, connecting travellers with local experiences and contributing to a broader tourism ecosystem around hospitality, transportation and culture.
As patients in Africa continue to face barriers to specialised healthcare, including shortages of medical professionals, limited advanced facilities and the high cost of travelling abroad for treatment, the project seeks to address these challenges by creating an environment where Africans can access healthcare, wellness and rehabilitation services without leaving the continent.
Magdalene’s first phase has been launched with the training and preparation of 1,000 Taraba graduates delivered through the MySchool Academy platform. which has already received more than 1,500 applicants.
African Sovereign Wealth Fund provides the broader Pan-African investment platform supporting transformative African companies and projects, while Family Doctor Inc. provides the healthcare leadership and operating vision for Magdalene. The long-term ambition is to expand the Magdalene model across Africa.
Mambilla Plateau offers distinctive highland environment, creating opportunities to position Taraba as a destination for healthcare, wellness, research, education, nature and tourism.
