By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Google.org has awarded a
$2.5 million grant to Nigerian health technology company Helium Health to scale
its AI-powered maternal health solution, HeliumMum, across Nigeria, with plans
to digitise 150 health facilities and reach 300,000 women.
The investment will support
efforts to help frontline health workers identify maternal health risks earlier
and connect women to timely care, as Nigeria continues to face a significant
maternal mortality burden.
Olumide Balogun, Google's
Director for East and West Africa, disclosed the investment following a meeting
with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss building on the
progress made in maternal healthcare in the state.
According to Balogun,
Nigeria accounts for approximately 28 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide,
highlighting the need to improve access to timely and effective maternal
healthcare.
Through the grant, Helium
Health plans to digitise 150 health facilities, onboard 300,000 women and reach
1.9 million people with maternal health education. The initiative is working
towards a 30 per cent reduction in facility-based maternal mortality.
Google will also contribute
its artificial intelligence technology and hands-on engineering expertise to
support the implementation and expansion of HeliumMum.
Balogun said the partnership
presents an opportunity to build on Lagos State's progress as Helium Health
expands the solution across Nigeria.
"By bringing local
innovation, global expertise and government leadership together, we can deliver
lasting impact," he said.
Helium Health was selected
from more than 2,600 applications worldwide as one of 15 recipients of
Google.org's $30 million AI for Government Innovation Impact Challenge.
Balogun congratulated Dimeji
Sofowora and the Helium Health team on the selection, while acknowledging
Governor Sanwo-Olu's administration for its continued commitment to improving
maternal healthcare.
