The MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation will spend about $25 million over 4 years on a programme to provide Nigerian mothers and frontline health workers with phones, mobile data, and AI-assisted guidance.
The Nigeria Maternal Health Multiplier was announced on 23 September 2026 at a Semafor event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. By 2030, it aims to help 500,000 women get trusted health guidance, equip 5,000 frontline health workers to spot pregnancy and childbirth complications early, and help 500 health facilities deliver more consistent care.
Phones, data and connected clinics
The programme has 3 parts: AI-enabled, phone-based decision support for health workers and mothers; affordable smartphones and mobile data for pregnant women; and better connectivity at primary health care facilities. It builds on the Federal Ministry of Health’s maternal mortality initiative, and the funding includes direct and in-kind contributions from the Gates Foundation and MTN.
The device element matters as much as the software. Handset cost is one of the main things keeping Africans offline, as the GSMA argued in its report on Rwanda this month.
The AI is not yet specified
The announcement does not name the AI tools, the models behind them, or who builds them. MTN Group chief executive Ralph Mupita said artificial intelligence could put “trusted, locally relevant health insights directly into the hands of mothers and healthcare professionals, tailored to their unique needs and languages”, a problem other projects are tackling through open data for African languages.
“AI has enormous potential to improve health, but only if its benefits reach the people who stand to gain the most,” said Mark Suzman, chief executive of the Gates Foundation.
The partners chose Nigeria first because of the problem’s scale. According to their announcement, the country accounts for nearly 30% of maternal deaths worldwide, and only 59% of women complete 4 or more antenatal visits. They describe the $25 million as an anchor investment meant to attract more funding and support expansion to other markets.
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