Mary-Brenda Akoda has been declared the winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation (NPSI), securing the prestigious $100,000 grand prize sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG). Her winning entry, an artificial intelligence-powered software platform named GenScan AI, introduces a major breakthrough in medical diagnostics by slashing the duration of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.
The historic announcement was made on Tuesday at a press conference in Lagos following a rigorous, multi-stage assessment by an independent panel of judges. Akoda’s triumph marks a landmark moment for the 22-year-old accolade; she is both the youngest individual recipient and the first woman to win the science prize independently since its inception in 2004.
Maximising Medical Infrastructure
Developed using a specialised framework known as the C-MORE algorithm, GenScan AI employs a one-step consistency model to accelerate the reconstruction of raw MRI datasets. The software is engineered to drastically reduce standard patient acquisition and scanning times—by up to 90 per cent in some applications—while maintaining, or even enhancing, final diagnostic image quality.
The practical implications for public health systems are immense, particularly within resource-constrained healthcare systems across Africa. Rather than placing an immediate financial burden on clinics to acquire cost-prohibitive machinery, GenScan AI integrates with existing, compatible scanners to scale up daily patient processing.
Professor Bart Nnaji, Chairman of the NPSI Advisory Board, praised the technology’s real-world utility, noting that the breakthrough addresses critical bottlenecks in clinical pipelines. “Shorter examination times mean more patients can be served daily, effectively lowering hospital waiting lists and expanding diagnostic access across the country without requiring immediate infrastructural overhauls,” Professor Nnaji stated.
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Reclaiming the Prize
The 2026 competition retained the strict thematic brief of “Innovations in Artificial Intelligence, ICT and Digital Technologies for Development”. The theme was deliberately carried over from 2025, when the panel of judges controversially withheld the prize entirely after deciding that none of the 112 submissions met their exacting criteria for practical societal deployment.
Spurred by the empty podium the previous year, the 2026 edition drew a record-breaking 237 entries, representing the highest volume of scientific submissions in the competition’s history. GenScan AI was unanimously selected as the outright winner after being closely evaluated against two other final shortlisted digital health technologies.
Dr Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, noted that the return of a winner reflects the strict merit and integrity of the adjudication process.
Academic Background and Presentation:
Akoda holds a First-Class honours degree in Computer Science from Goldsmiths, University of London and a Distinction in her MRes in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Imperial College London as a Google DeepMind Scholar. Her industry experience includes working as an AI research scientist at Microsoft’s Mixed Reality and AI Research Lab in Cambridge.
She will receive the $100,000 prize and medal at the NLNG Prizes Grand Award Night on October 9, 2026.
AI Writer
Bio: Joseph Michael is an MBA graduate in Marketing from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a passionate tech enthusiast. As a professional writer and author at AIbase.ng, he simplifies complex AI concepts, explores digital innovation, and creates practical guides for Nigerian learners and businesses. With a background in marketing and brand communication, Joseph brings clarity, insight, and real-world relevance to every article he writes.