By Abigail Mbah
Nigerian health technology company, Helium Health, has secured a $2.5 million (approximately ₦3.4 billion) grant from Google.org to deploy artificial intelligence (AI)-powered clinical solutions aimed at improving maternal healthcare delivery and reducing pregnancy-related deaths in Nigeria.
The initiative is expected to strengthen primary healthcare services by helping medical personnel identify pregnancy complications earlier, improve clinical decision-making and connect expectant mothers to appropriate medical care before conditions become life-threatening.
Helium Health was selected as the only Nigerian organisation among 15 global recipients of the $30 million Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation, which supports organisations working with governments to improve public service delivery through artificial intelligence.
The funding will support the deployment of clinical AI models across Lagos, Delta, Kano and Oyo states, with Lagos serving as the primary operational launchpad.
The Nigerian implementation roadmap was unveiled in Lagos during an executive briefing involving Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and executives from Google and Helium Health.
At the centre of the initiative is HeliumMum, an AI-powered maternal healthcare solution designed to help pregnant women identify potential health risks early, access timely medical attention and receive appropriate care through connected healthcare providers.
The platform will integrate AI-powered clinical decision support with electronic medical records, enabling healthcare professionals to access relevant patient information, identify warning signs and make more informed decisions about maternal care.
Beyond improving individual patient outcomes, the technology is expected to provide governments with actionable health data to identify service gaps, strengthen primary healthcare planning and improve the delivery of maternal health interventions.
Dimeji Sofowora, CEO of Helium Health, said the company had spent the past decade developing technology and partnerships to improve healthcare delivery across Africa.
He noted that the company’s maternal health initiatives had already reached more than 3.5 million women, adding that the Google.org funding would enable it to expand access to quality maternal healthcare.
Dr Shona Oluwatola, Head of Public Health at Helium Health, said the initiative aims to reach an additional 1.9 million women over three years and contribute to a 30 per cent reduction in maternal mortality.
She highlighted the urgency of the intervention, noting that Nigeria accounts for nearly three in every 10 maternal deaths globally.
According to her, early identification of pregnancy risks, improved access to healthcare professionals and timely medical intervention could help prevent deaths arising from complications that might otherwise go undetected or untreated.
The initiative is also expected to support healthcare workers, particularly those operating at the primary healthcare level, with technology that can improve risk assessment, patient monitoring and referrals to higher-level medical facilities when necessary.
Google.org Global Head, Maggie Johnson, said the funding and technical support would help the selected organisations translate the potential of AI into practical solutions that address real-world challenges.
She explained that the 15 organisations would also participate in a dedicated Google.org Accelerator programme, receiving technical assistance from Google engineers and AI product experts to strengthen their solutions and implementation capacity.
For Nigeria’s health sector, the initiative represents an opportunity to deploy AI beyond administrative automation and into frontline healthcare delivery, where early diagnosis, clinical support and timely intervention can directly influence patient outcomes.
By combining AI-driven risk detection, electronic health records and government health data, Helium Health aims to strengthen maternal healthcare services, improve the capacity of primary healthcare facilities and expand access to potentially life-saving interventions.
The three-year rollout is expected to demonstrate how emerging technologies can support Nigeria’s efforts to reduce maternal deaths while building a more responsive, data-driven and accessible healthcare system.