Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Health and Four Japanese Companies, Including African Mothers, Sign MoU to Promote Digital Maternal and Child Healthcare in the Country

During the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), held in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, 2025, African Mothers Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "African Mothers"), together with Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ), TOPPAN Holdings Inc. (TOPPAN), and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage of Côte d'Ivoire to promote digital transformation (DX) in maternal and child healthcare across the country.

*African Mothers is a wholly owned subsidiary of Castalia Co., Ltd.

1. Background

Côte d'Ivoire, while a leading economy in West Africa, continues to face high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Key contributing factors include the lack of access to accurate information on pregnancy and childbirth through tools like maternal and child health handbooks, and the absence of systematic health information management in hospitals.

These challenges make it difficult for midwives to provide appropriate care based on past medical records. As a result, digitizing and centralizing medical data is increasingly seen as a vital solution.

2. Future Plans

The four companies plan to jointly develop a system for providing health guidance centered around a digital maternal and child health record, along with associated applications and systems.

Working closely with the Ivorian government and relevant institutions, they will first launch a pilot version in urban areas to verify its effectiveness. In the medium to long term, the initiative aims to expand its regional coverage, leverage the accumulated health data, and integrate with other healthcare services to create a sustainable maternal and child health ecosystem.

3. Role of African Mothers

In this project, African Mothers will be responsible for developing the mobile application and implementing and operating the health data platform.
Leveraging the expertise of its parent company Castalia Co., Ltd., which has extensive experience in mobile learning and digital healthcare, African Mothers will strive to deliver practical and sustainable solutions tailored to local needs.

UI image of the application*1

*1: photos above are screens from the application provided by African Mothers for Tanzania.

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■About TICAD9

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is an international summit organized by the Government of Japan in collaboration with African nations and international organizations. The ninth edition (TICAD9), held in Yokohama in August 2025, focused on the theme “Toward a Future of Growth with Africa”, and aimed to strengthen partnerships across a wide range of sectors including industry, education, healthcare, and culture.

Official Website: https://ticad9.city.yokohama.lg.jp/

■About African Mothers Co., Ltd.

African Mothers Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Castalia Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki), specializing in digital maternal and child health solutions in Africa. With Professor Yoko Shinpuku of Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences serving as an outside director, the company is developing and deploying the mobile app “Taarifa za Mama” (“Mother’s Records” in Swahili) in the United Republic of Tanzania.

URL: https://en.castalia.co.jp/service/AfricanMothers

■About Castalia Co., Ltd.

Castalia Co., Ltd. operates with the mission of “solving social issues through education and IT.” The company develops and provides the Goocus mobile learning platform, along with original programming education materials. Its business spans not only across Japan but also in the Middle East and Africa, contributing to sustainable development by expanding access to education and fostering ICT human resources.

URL: https://en.castalia.co.jp/