Nigerian startup matches elder care with job creation for youth

A Nigerian startup just a year into its e-health mission has been getting a lot of attention, now that founders Chika Madubuko and Ogochukwu Obi have been selected for the She Leads Africa Accelerator 2017.
The two entrepreneurs, along with Remilekun Dosumu, shared a vision to deliver quality home care to Nigerian elders and other vulnerable populations needing assistance. Their Greymate Care solution, an online platform to connect caregivers and families, was spurred by Maduboko’s own experience with a fragile grandmother in her final years.
When the family realized they needed more help, they found it hard to hire someone without a way to vet applicants or verify an aide’s skills or background. That’s where the idea to create a tech-driven platform to match families and services – coupling the professionalism with peace of mind – first began.
“There are currently 35 million citizens above the age of 55 in Nigeria with children or spouses who are working full time to earn a living (in) Nigeria’s current economic condition,” Madubuko told Disrupt Africa. “Family members find it hard to provide their dependent loved ones the quality of love and care they deserve not because they do not want to, but because they are too busy with their jobs.”
The all-female Greymate leadership team has no small plans. They hope to have 200,000 service users by 2030, up from about 600 now, and have a strategy to grow their company into other African countries beyond Nigeria.
Maduboko says she’s especially proud to see African youth employed through Greymate, and the company hopes to one day provide 10,000 jobs.
Image: Greymate Care