Bright Simons

Bright Simons is a Ghanaian technologist, social innovator, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on technology, public health, and global supply chain reform. Simons founded mPedigree as an organization to harness user-friendly technology and enlist partners to protect Ghanaians from counterfeit drugs. He pioneered a system that allows consumers to instantly verify the authenticity of products by sending a free text message.

The concept expanded to Nigeria and other countries, attracting global companies such as HP and Xerox. mPedigree evolved into a social enterprise operating across three continents, partnering with more than three dozen telecom operators and developing capabilities in health and food security, transparency, and governance.

Simons's efforts in securing communities and protecting supply chains have impacted the lives of over 100 million people in more than 15 countries. mPedigree's partnerships with regulators, industry, and consumer activists in Nigeria have contributed to a significant reduction in counterfeit medicines. Its system for validating seed quality of major staple crops has supported food security and protected smallholder livelihoods in East Africa and the COMESA region.

After helping mPedigree scale across Africa and South Asia, Simons and a team of innovators launched a company that developed a novel sensor made from smart polymers, capable of tracking critical physical conditions in supply chains, such as optimal temperature ranges for vaccine transport. mPedigree became a strategic partner of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in scaling and delivering these products to remote areas.

As a board-level advisor, Simons has served on the Microsoft Africa Advisory Council, the Lancet Commission on the Future of Health in Africa, the World Economic Forum Africa Strategy Group, IMANI Center for Policy and Education, and the Ashoka Globalizer initiative. Trained in astrophysics at Durham University, Simons is Honorary Vice President at IMANI, where he is known for policy analysis and data-driven critiques of governance and public policy. He coined the term katanomics to describe the disconnect between political incentives and sound public policy in many African countries.

MIT Technology Review included Simons in its list of top 35 innovators under 35 for his work in telecommunications. Fortune magazine listed him among the World's 50 Greatest Leaders. He was named CNBC All-Africa Business Leader of the Year in the innovation category and included in New African Magazine's 100 Most Influential Africans, highlighting his impact on governance, public policy, and innovation. Simons was appointed Senior Visiting Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, a leading development think tank. A frequent speaker and writer, his work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, and other global publications, establishing him as a prominent voice in technology, social enterprise, and African development.