MTN and Gates Foundation Launch $25m Maternal Health Initiative to Reach 500,000 Nigerian Women

For many women, getting through pregnancy safely depends not only on the availability of healthcare but also on whether they can access reliable information, reach a health facility in time and receive the right support when complications arise.

A new partnership between MTN Group Foundation and the Gates Foundation is seeking to address some of these gaps by combining technology, connectivity and frontline healthcare to improve maternal health outcomes in Nigeria.

The two organisations have launched the Nigeria Maternal Health Multiplier, a four-year initiative that aims to help 500,000 women access higher-quality maternal healthcare by 2030.

The partnership comes with an initial investment of approximately US$25 million between 2026 and 2030, including direct and in-kind contributions from both organisations.

The initiative will also equip 5,000 frontline health workers with digital tools designed to help them identify pregnancy and childbirth complications earlier, while supporting 500 primary healthcare facilities to provide more consistent maternal care.

At the centre of the programme is an integrated digital ecosystem connecting pregnant women, frontline health workers and primary healthcare facilities.

Women will have access to AI-enabled, phone-based decision-support tools designed to provide trusted health information and guidance throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. The programme will also provide affordable smartphones and mobile data to help reduce the cost barriers that can prevent women from accessing digital health services.

For health workers, connected tools will provide real-time guidance to support the identification of warning signs and help them respond to pregnancy and childbirth complications.

The programme will also improve connectivity at participating primary healthcare facilities, particularly in underserved communities where access to reliable healthcare and digital infrastructure can be limited.

The initiative is being designed to complement Nigeria’s existing maternal and child health reforms, including the Federal Government’s Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), rather than operate as a separate system.

The scale of Nigeria’s maternal health challenge makes the intervention particularly significant. The Gates Foundation says Nigeria accounts for nearly 30 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while only 59 per cent of women complete four or more antenatal care visits. Many maternal deaths are preventable when complications are identified and treated in time.

Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, said partnerships that strengthen existing health systems and reach women who are currently underserved are important to ongoing health-sector reforms.

The partnership also reflects growing interest in using artificial intelligence as a tool for improving access to healthcare, particularly where shortages of health workers, information and infrastructure create barriers.

Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN Group, said the initiative is intended to demonstrate how technology can place locally relevant health information directly in the hands of mothers and healthcare professionals, with Nigeria serving as the first market for the model and potential future expansion across Africa.

For the women the programme is designed to reach, the value of the technology will ultimately depend on whether it helps them access timely information, recognise potential danger signs and connect with appropriate care when they need it.

If implemented as planned, the Nigeria Maternal Health Multiplier will bring together philanthropy, telecommunications infrastructure, artificial intelligence and the primary healthcare system around one practical objective: helping more Nigerian women receive the support they need to navigate pregnancy and childbirth safely.