MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation have committed $25 million to reducing maternal mortality in Nigeria through 2030 under a new maternal health partnership. The four-year initiative, described by the organisations as the Maternal Health Multiplier platform, aims to expand access to AI-enabled maternal healthcare by providing affordable smartphones, mobile data, and improved connectivity to pregnant women and healthcare facilities.
The initiative targets 500,000 women, 5,000 frontline health workers, and 500 health facilities across Nigeria. Through phone-based AI decision-support tools, the programme will provide mothers and frontline health workers with access to trusted, locally relevant health information and support the early identification of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. The partnership will also complement existing healthcare services by improving access to smartphones and mobile data while strengthening connectivity at healthcare facilities.
Nigeria continues to account for nearly 30% of maternal deaths globally, according to figures cited in the report. Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said partnerships such as this could help strengthen the systems needed to translate technology and innovation into improved public services. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said strengthening primary healthcare and equipping frontline health workers were central to ongoing health-sector reforms.
MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said the initiative would initially focus on Nigeria, with the ambition of developing a model that could be scaled to improve maternal and child health outcomes across Africa. Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said the partnership was intended to ensure that the benefits of AI-enabled healthcare reach people who may otherwise be unable to afford or access such technologies.
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The partnership was announced at Semafor's Next 3 Billion event in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
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