MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation have launched an AI maternal health platform in Nigeria to reach 500,000 women by 2030 as part of a four-year partnership to strengthen maternal healthcare.
The Nigeria Maternal Health Multiplier, announced in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, will provide AI-enabled, phone-based decision-support tools to mothers and frontline health workers. The initiative will also equip 5,000 health workers with digital tools to help identify pregnancy and childbirth complications early.
The programme will support 500 primary healthcare facilities by providing affordable smartphones and mobile data, along with improved connectivity at healthcare facilities, particularly in underserved communities.
MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation said the partnership has an initial investment of about $25 million between 2026 and 2030. The organisations said the funding is also intended to attract additional investment and support the expansion of the model into other markets.
The initiative will build on the Federal Government’s Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), which the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is implementing under its Sector-Wide Approach.
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Nigeria accounts for nearly 30 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while 59 per cent of women complete four or more antenatal care visits, according to the statement cited by Vanguard.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani said the partnership would help translate digital innovation into services for Nigerians, particularly by addressing the infrastructure and systems required for technology adoption.
“For too long, the biggest barrier to improving service delivery in Nigeria, whether in health, agriculture, or education, has not been a lack of innovations, but a lack of focus on the foundational systems necessary to drive adoption,” Tijani said.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the programme would complement ongoing health-sector reforms by strengthening primary healthcare and supporting frontline health workers.
MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said the initiative would use technology to improve access to maternal healthcare and help mothers make informed decisions during pregnancy and childbirth.
Gates Foundation Chief Executive Officer Mark Suzman said AI could improve healthcare if its benefits reached underserved populations.
The partnership combines MTN’s connectivity, digital inclusion and device distribution capabilities with the Gates Foundation’s expertise in maternal, newborn and child health, digital health, responsible AI and evidence-based scale-up.
The launch places AI alongside connectivity, mobile devices and frontline healthcare capacity rather than treating the technology as a standalone solution. The organisations said the programme is designed to work with existing health systems while extending digital support to mothers and health workers in communities with limited access to healthcare services.
For Nigeria, the AI maternal health platform represents another effort to apply artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure to a major public health challenge, with the programme’s stated target of reaching 500,000 women and supporting 500 primary healthcare facilities by 2030.
Lawrence Orjime is an AI and technology writer at AIBase.ng, covering the latest developments in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and the companies shaping the future of AI.
With a background in content strategy, SEO, and digital media, Lawrence Orjime combines technology reporting with a strong understanding of what makes information useful and easy to find online.