MTN, Gates Foundation Launch $25m AI Maternal Health Initiative for 500,000 Nigerian Women

MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation have launched a four-year AI-enabled maternal healthcare initiative in Nigeria with a target of helping 500,000 women access higher-quality maternal health services by 2030.

Known as the Nigeria Maternal Health Multiplier, the initiative will combine artificial intelligence, mobile technology, affordable smartphones, data access and improved connectivity to support pregnant women, frontline health workers and primary healthcare facilities, particularly in underserved communities.

The partnership, announced in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), comes with an initial investment of approximately $25 million between 2026 and 2030 through direct and in-kind contributions from MTN and the Gates Foundation.

The organisations said the initial funding is intended to serve as an anchor investment that can attract additional resources and potentially support the expansion of the model into other African markets.

Under the programme, 5,000 frontline health workers will be equipped with digital tools designed to help them identify pregnancy and childbirth complications earlier, while 500 health facilities will be supported to provide more consistent and higher-quality maternal healthcare.

The programme will focus on three major areas: AI-enabled, phone-based decision-support tools for mothers and health workers; affordable smartphones and mobile data for pregnant women; and improved connectivity at primary healthcare facilities.

The digital tools are expected to provide women with trusted health information throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, while giving frontline workers access to real-time guidance that can assist in identifying warning signs and responding to complications.

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The initiative is designed to work within Nigeria’s existing healthcare system rather than operate as a separate medical service. It will build on the Federal Government’s Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), which is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the country’s Sector-Wide Approach to health reform.

Nigeria was selected as the first implementation market because of the scale of its maternal health challenges.

According to MTN and the Gates Foundation, Nigeria accounts for nearly 30 per cent of maternal deaths globally, despite progress made in reducing maternal mortality over the past decade. The organisations also said only about 59 per cent of Nigerian women complete four or more antenatal care visits, potentially leaving some pregnancy complications undetected until they become severe.

Globally, maternal deaths have fallen by about 40 per cent since 2000, but progress has slowed in recent years. The organisations said the risk of maternal death remains dramatically higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in Western Europe.

The MTN-Gates initiative is therefore being positioned as a technology intervention aimed at closing some of the gaps that prevent women and health workers from receiving or acting on timely health information.

MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said technology could make maternal healthcare more personalised, predictive and accessible.

Mupita said the partnership would seek to put trusted and locally relevant health information directly into the hands of mothers and healthcare professionals, with the ambition of developing a model that could eventually be scaled across Africa.

Gates Foundation Chief Executive Officer Mark Suzman said artificial intelligence has significant potential to improve healthcare, but its benefits should reach people who are most likely to be excluded by the cost of emerging technologies.

The foundation said its contribution would include expertise in maternal, newborn and child health, digital health innovation, responsible AI and evidence-based scale-up, while MTN would contribute its telecommunications infrastructure, digital inclusion capabilities, device distribution networks and local market experience.

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, welcomed the initiative, saying one of the country’s challenges has been ensuring that useful innovations are supported by the systems needed to drive adoption.

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Tijani said partnerships such as the MTN-Gates programme could help translate Nigeria’s digital transformation into practical services for people who need them most.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, also welcomed the partnership, saying strengthening primary healthcare and empowering frontline health workers are central to the government’s health-sector reforms.

Pate said initiatives that work with existing health systems could help reach women who remain underserved.

The new programme comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality through MAMII and other interventions.

MAMII, launched in November 2024, targets 172 local government areas across 33 states. According to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the targeted areas represent about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s LGAs but account for approximately 55 per cent of maternal deaths.

The government has set a target of reducing maternal mortality by 30 per cent and neonatal mortality by 20 per cent in the targeted areas by 2028, while providing free, timely and comprehensive maternal healthcare to about 2.9 million pregnant women.

The Federal Government said more than 250 health facilities were implementing MAMII as of September 2026 in states including Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Ogun.

More than 32,000 women and 1,700 newborns had reportedly benefited from emergency obstetric and neonatal care under the initiative, while the National Emergency Medical Treatment and Ambulance Service had transported nearly 79,000 beneficiaries to appropriate healthcare facilities.

The government also reported a 20 per cent increase in fourth-visit antenatal attendance in MAMII-supported areas during one quarter.

The government has simultaneously introduced incentives intended to encourage women to use maternal and newborn healthcare services.

At a September 14 event in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare said more than 60,000 women had received free Caesarean sections and other emergency obstetric services through the National Health Insurance Authority, while more than 120,000 frontline health workers had been retrained.

The government also reported that thousands of healthcare facilities had been revitalised and more than 6,000 women affected by obstetric fistula had received corrective treatment and empowerment support.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Salako said the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicates that a Nigerian woman faces approximately a one-in-19 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes.

He also said Nigeria accounts for close to 29 per cent of global maternal deaths, highlighting the continuing scale of the country’s maternal health burden.

The MTN-Gates initiative adds a digital component to these broader government interventions by addressing access to information and connectivity alongside conventional healthcare services.

For example, a health worker in a connected primary healthcare facility could use the programme’s digital tools to receive guidance when assessing a pregnant woman, while a woman with access to the supported phone and data services could obtain health information and follow-up support without relying exclusively on physical visits to a healthcare facility.

The initiative, however, is not intended to replace doctors, nurses, midwives or other healthcare professionals. Its stated purpose is to provide additional digital decision-support, connectivity and health information within the existing healthcare system.

The partnership also reflects growing interest in using AI in African healthcare, particularly in areas where shortages of healthcare personnel, limited connectivity and geographical barriers can affect access to services.

The organisations said the programme’s combination of connectivity, devices, data and AI-enabled tools is intended to make digital maternal healthcare more accessible to women who might otherwise be excluded by cost or location.

The initiative’s immediate targets are 500,000 women, 5,000 frontline health workers and 500 health facilities by 2030.

MTN and the Gates Foundation said the approximately $25 million initial investment is expected to catalyse additional funding, with the longer-term ambition of developing a scalable approach that could be adapted for other African countries.

The programme therefore places artificial intelligence and digital connectivity alongside antenatal care, emergency obstetric services, health-worker training, facility upgrades and government incentives in Nigeria’s broader effort to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

MTN, Gates Foundation Launch $25m AI Maternal Health Initiative for 500,000 Nigerian Women

Lagos Intensifies Surveillance as Adulterated Palm Oil Raises Food Safety Concerns

The Lagos State Government has intensified surveillance of markets across the state following concerns over increasingly sophisticated forms of palm oil adulteration, including the alleged use of industrial dyes and other substances to alter the appearance of the widely consumed cooking oil.

The warning was issued by the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) after a technical presentation at the Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition 2026, where experts examined emerging risks in the palm oil supply chain and ways of detecting adulterated products.

The presentation, titled “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” was delivered by Dr Nurah Oseni, a senior lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Auchi Polytechnic.

Oseni identified several factors that make palm oil vulnerable to adulteration, including its high trading volume, price differences, informal market practices and the perception among some consumers that a deeper red colour indicates better quality.

She raised particular concern over the reported use of Sudan and Azo dyes to artificially intensify the colour of palm oil.

The expert also identified the blending of palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, and the use of combinations of adulterants designed to make detection more difficult.

Another concern is traceability fraud, involving practices such as falsifying product labels and batch records, which can make it difficult for regulators to establish the origin and movement of suspect products through the supply chain.

However, the warning does not mean that genuine palm oil is inherently unsafe or cancer-causing.

The health concern relates specifically to adulterated palm oil containing prohibited or potentially hazardous substances. Industrial Sudan dyes, for example, are not approved food colourants because of their established health risks.

The distinction is important because naturally produced palm oil can have varying shades of orange, red and yellow depending on the fruit, processing method and other factors.

Oseni therefore cautioned consumers against judging the safety or authenticity of palm oil solely by its colour.

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She said simple visual examination could be used as an initial precaution, noting that genuine palm oil may separate into layers, with the lower portion appearing orange to reddish-yellow rather than uniformly deep red.

She nevertheless stressed that visual inspection cannot conclusively establish palm oil adulteration.

The expert also warned consumers against relying on the popular water test for palm oil, saying such household methods cannot scientifically confirm whether the product has been adulterated.

Laboratory analysis is required to establish the presence of prohibited dyes or other contaminants.

She recommended a tiered detection system involving risk-based screening, rapid physicochemical and spectroscopic tests and confirmatory laboratory analysis.

She also called for proper sampling and chain-of-custody procedures to ensure that laboratory results are reliable enough to support regulatory action.

Oseni proposed a five-stage surveillance model for Lagos — “Risk Map, Sample, Screen, Confirm and Act.”

The proposed system would involve identifying high-risk areas, collecting samples, carrying out preliminary screening, confirming suspected cases through laboratory testing and taking enforcement action where violations are established.

She also recommended the creation of an adulteration intelligence database and closer cooperation among processors, traders, laboratories, regulators, researchers and consumers.

The General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting consumers from unsafe and substandard products.

Solebo urged Lagos residents to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous trading through LASCOPA’s official channels.

He said market surveillance had been intensified across the state and warned that anyone found dealing in adulterated products would face appropriate enforcement action, including arrest and prosecution under relevant laws.

The latest warning comes against the backdrop of previous concerns about adulterated palm oil in Lagos markets.

Earlier this year, LASCOPA took enforcement action against a trader following concerns over allegedly adulterated palm oil, reinforcing the agency’s focus on the product and its potential risks.

The wider concerns have also attracted the attention of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has stressed that allegations about unsafe or adulterated food should be subjected to scientific testing and regulatory investigation before definitive conclusions are reached.

NAFDAC has also expressed concerns about the adulteration of palm oil with azo dyes and other hazardous contaminants, particularly products packaged and sold through informal markets.

The position places greater responsibility on state consumer protection and food safety agencies to strengthen market monitoring and enforcement within their jurisdictions.

Research into palm oil adulteration has highlighted the difficulty of identifying contaminated products through appearance alone. Adulterants can be used to make lower-quality palm oil appear more intensely red, exploiting consumer preferences for deeper colour.

The detection of such adulteration therefore requires appropriate analytical techniques rather than reliance solely on visual characteristics.

For consumers, food-safety experts and regulators recommend buying palm oil from trusted and traceable sources and reporting suspicious products rather than attempting to establish their safety through informal tests.

Unusual colour, odour, excessive sediments or other abnormal characteristics may justify further investigation, but none of these signs alone proves that palm oil is adulterated.

The issue also highlights a broader challenge facing the Nigerian food system: ensuring traceability and regulatory oversight in informal markets, where products can pass through several stages between producers, processors, wholesalers and retailers before reaching consumers.

At the Lagos food safety conference, stakeholders called for stronger enforcement, improved laboratory capacity, better traceability and greater cooperation among regulators, businesses and consumers.

LASCOPA’s intensified surveillance is consequently expected to focus on identifying specific cases of adulteration, collecting samples for proper testing and taking enforcement action where violations are confirmed.

Residents have meanwhile been encouraged to remain cautious when purchasing palm oil, avoid unverified claims about supposedly dangerous products and report suspected cases through official regulatory channels.

The Lagos government’s latest warning is therefore a call for greater vigilance over food safety and palm oil adulteration, rather than a blanket warning against consuming genuine palm oil.

Lagos Intensifies Surveillance as Adulterated Palm Oil Raises Food Safety Concerns

Aproko Doctor Warns Nigerians Against Rinsing Mouth With Untreated Borehole Water

Nigerian doctor and health educator Chukwuma Okoro, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has warned Nigerians against using untreated borehole water to rinse their mouths, saying contaminated water may expose people to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium associated with peptic ulcers.

Aproko Doctor issued the warning in a video shared on X on Monday, September 21, 2026, urging people to pay attention to the quality and source of water used for everyday activities, including brushing the teeth and rinsing the mouth.

He specifically raised concern about borehole water sourced from residential compounds, particularly where the borehole and surrounding plumbing or sanitation infrastructure may not be properly constructed or maintained.

According to him, H. pylori is one of the common causes of peptic ulcers. He warned that people who use untreated water for oral hygiene could potentially be exposed to bacteria if the water source has been contaminated.

He also pointed to the possible risk of contamination where borehole water pipes are located close to wastewater or soakaway systems.

However, the relationship between H. pylori and drinking water is more nuanced than suggesting that untreated borehole water directly causes ulcers. H. pylori has multiple possible transmission routes, and contaminated water is considered one potential route of exposure.

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Aproko Doctor advised people who are uncertain about the safety of their water to treat it before use. He mentioned boiling, proper filtration and suitable chemical disinfection as possible measures for reducing microbial contamination.

The warning is particularly relevant in Nigeria, where borehole water is widely used by households, businesses and institutions because of inadequate or unreliable public water supplies in many communities.

Having a borehole does not, by itself, mean that the water is unsafe. Water quality can depend on the location and depth of the borehole, its construction, the surrounding environment, the condition of pipes and storage facilities, and whether the water is regularly tested and treated.

Residents who rely on boreholes can reduce potential risks by ensuring that boreholes are properly constructed, keeping sanitation systems appropriately separated from water sources, maintaining water tanks and plumbing, and having water tested periodically.

People should also avoid assuming that clear-looking water is necessarily free of harmful microorganisms, as some forms of contamination cannot be detected by sight, smell or taste.

Aproko Doctor also highlighted other factors associated with peptic ulcers, including frequent use of certain painkillers. H. pylori infection and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including medicines such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are among the established major causes of peptic ulcers.

The health educator’s warning therefore extends beyond drinking water to the wider issue of household water safety.

For individuals experiencing persistent symptoms that could indicate an ulcer or another gastrointestinal condition, medical evaluation is advisable rather than relying solely on home remedies or self-medication.

Symptoms such as persistent upper abdominal pain, vomiting, unexplained weight loss or black, tarry stool require particular attention because gastrointestinal bleeding can be a serious complication.

The broader public-health message is that households should pay attention to the safety of water used not only for drinking and cooking but also for oral hygiene.

While contaminated water can present microbial health risks, H. pylori infection is not established as being caused by every source of untreated borehole water. The safety of individual borehole supplies depends on factors including construction, location, sanitation, treatment and water quality testing.

Aproko Doctor Warns Nigerians Against Rinsing Mouth With Untreated Borehole Water