May 31, 2025

Grand Challenges Nigeria (GCNg) is proud to announce the selection of 10 projects that will receive seed funding to tackle urgent challenges in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH). This is the first milestone in GCNg’s broader strategy to build a national innovation platform that identifies critical health and food security challenges and directs innovation resources toward solutions that can scale.

The selected projects, to be led by Nigerian institutions, researchers, and innovators, were chosen through a highly competitive and expert-reviewed process. Each grantee will receive funding and targeted technical support to prove and position their work for broader uptake. These projects span innovations in technologies, locally tailored tools, and inclusive service models that address major bottlenecks in MNCH from neonatal sepsis and maternal emergencies to digital risk prediction, AI-enabled screening, and health system linkages.

What Sets GCNg Apart?

Grand Challenges Nigeria goes beyond grant-making; It is a multi-stakeholder platform to identify Nigeria’s most pressing development challenges; direct funding, technology, and expertise to solutions that are built for scale; align innovations with public systems and national policy goals; and support innovators not just to pilot ideas, but to integrate into Nigeria’s health and food systems.

These MNCH grantees are the first cohort in a long-term commitment to unlock Nigeria’s innovation potential for the benefit of Nigerians.

Meet the Innovators

Principal Investigator: Professor Stephen Oguche

Organization: Jos University Teaching Hospital

Location: Plateau State, Nigeria

Project Title: Point-Of-Care Biomarkers and Next Generation Sequencing to Guide Neonatal Sepsis Management in Low-Resource Settings

Stephen Oguche will conduct a preliminary trial to evaluate the accuracy and timeliness of point-of-care biomarkers (CRP and procalcitonin) in addition to specific genomic sequencing targets (16S and 28S) as compared to standard laboratory testing and gold standard blood culture in the workup of neonates admitted to the neonatal units with suspected sepsis. The goal is to improve diagnosis of neonatal sepsis with emerging technologies that are low-cost, reliable, and sustainable in resource-limited settings.

Sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal mortality globally, contributing to more than half a million deaths every year. Low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionately large number of cases of neonatal sepsis in comparison to high-income countries. In Nigeria, about 22% of nearly a quarter million yearly neonatal deaths, or deaths within the first 28 days of life, are attributed to sepsis. Evaluation and management of suspected neonatal sepsis is challenging in many LMICs due to lack of laboratory infrastructure to perform blood cultures and lack of sensitive, specific, and timely laboratory tests to guide clinical decision making. Frequently, this leads to inconsistent treatment of suspected neonatal sepsis, contributing to the ever-increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance, and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Principal Investigator: Professor Ezekiel Akinkunmi

Organization: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Location: Osun State, Nigeria

Project Title: Development of O-SEE-MUM Oil gels for umbilical care to prevent and treat omphalitis in Nigeria

Ezekiel Akinkunmi of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria will use locally produced Ocimum gratissimum Linn oil gels (called O-SEE-MUM Oil gels pronounced from the genus name Ocimum) as alternative to chlorhexidine gels in the control of omphalitis in Nigeria. The project will prepare formulations of extracted essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum plant and determine the effectiveness of the formulations in preventing cord infections in selected healthcare facilities in Nigeria. At the end of the project, affordable, non-toxic, effective, readily available, culturally acceptable, locally produced and reproducible ocimum oil gel products for the prevention and treatment of omphalitis in neonates will be developed towards reducing incidence of neonatal mortality in Nigeria.

Principal Investigator: Dr Chidinma Onyebuchi Akanazu

Organization: Federal University of Technology Owerri

Location: Imo State, Nigeria

Project Title: Mobicare 360 - A Digital-Community Hybrid Model on Maternal and Child Health outcomes in Nigeria

Chidinma Akanazu of Federal University of Technology Owerri will implement a pilot project in Imo State Nigeria that will leverage a hybrid model that combines mobile technology with trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) to deliver timely health education, appointment reminders, and personalized support to pregnant women and young mothers. The project which will be known as MobiCare 360 an innovative digital-community health initiative aimed at improving maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) outcomes in underserved communities in Nigeria.

CHWs will use the MobiCare 360 mobile app that will be developed to register beneficiaries, schedule visits, deliver health tips, and monitor progress throughout pregnancy and early childhood. The app sends automated reminders via SMS and notifications, ensuring consistent follow-up for antenatal care, immunizations, and danger sign awareness. Even mothers without smartphones will be reached through CHWs and SMS communication. The 15-month project targets significant improvements in ANC attendance, facility-based deliveries, and immunization rates, while also generating valuable data to inform health system strengthening. MobiCare 360 will provide a replicable, scalable, high-impact, community-rooted, and tech-enabled solution to reduce maternal and child mortality, drive behavioural change, and support sustainable health improvements across Nigeria while aligning with national and global health priorities.

Principal Investigator: Professor Bosede Afolabi

Organization: Maternal and Reproductive Health Research Collective

Location: Lagos State, Nigeria

Project Title: MamaLink Project - Linking Slum-Dwelling Pregnant Women to Life saving Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care

Bosede Afolabi will leverage the MamaBase registry of indigent pregnant women in Lagos State to identify and onboard pregnant women from Ajegunle and Ijegun/Ibeshe slums onto a dedicated digital platform, MamaLink, a technology-driven solution designed in response to Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality burden will provide fast, reliable emergency transport and referral support for pregnant women living in underserved slum areas in Lagos, Nigeria. This digital platform will connect women to skilled health workers from selected health facilities, transport providers (tricycle/kèké and ambulance coordinators) and a triage officer who will coordinate emergency responses based on messages received. To ensure equitable access for pregnant women without smartphones, a toll-free USSD code will provide an alternative means of triggering transport and referral support.

MamaLink seeks to establish a responsive, inclusive, and scalable referral network that guarantees timely access to life-saving maternal care, ultimately reducing intrapartum stillbirths and maternal deaths. The project directly addresses the second critical delay in the "Three Delays Model" of maternal mortality - the delay in reaching appropriate care; by ensuring that the women arrive at a functional health care facility in the shortest possible time.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Adebolajo Adeyemo

Organization: Institute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan

Location: Oyo State, Nigeria

Project Title: Identification Of Birth Defects In Newborn Children - Task Shifting To Primary Healthcare Workers

Adebolajo Adeyemo will train and equip primary healthcare workers across Oyo state with low-cost tools to enable the early detection of birth defects, ensuring timely intervention for affected newborns. Under this project, every baby diagnosed with birth defects will be automatically enrolled in the state government-run health insurance scheme, eliminating financial burdens and streamlining access to specialized care.

By enhancing early screening and removing economic barriers, this program is set to save lives, prevent disabilities, and significantly reduce long-term healthcare costs. Through strategic collaboration with the State Primary Healthcare Board, the initiative will be seamlessly integrated into local health systems, ensuring lasting impact and sustainable improvements in neonatal care.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Victor Ayodeji Ayeni

Organization: Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo

Location: Ogun State, Nigeria

Project Title: Effect Of N-Acetylcysteine On Outcomes Of Perinatal Asphyxia; A Multicentre, Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial

Victor Ayeni will explore the impact of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on oxidative biomarkers and its effects on short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in babies affected by perinatal asphyxia. By identifying feasible therapeutic solutions, this research aims to reduce perinatal asphyxia-related disabilities and improve perinatal-neonatal health outcomes in Nigeria and other LMICs.

Perinatal asphyxia generates free radicals, causing cellular and tissue damage. Neuroprotective agents with antioxidant properties, such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), show promise in managing perinatal asphyxia. NAC is a scavenger of reactive oxygen species and a glutathione restorer with a favourable safety profile, used for decades to address paracetamol intoxication in neonates and adults. Nigeria experiences a neonatal mortality rate of 33/1000 live births, and sub-Saharan Africa contributes 38% of global neonatal deaths, largely from preventable causes like perinatal asphyxia with its attendant hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Efforts to address perinatal asphyxia align with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, which aims to reduce neonatal mortality to less than 12 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030. The impact of perinatal asphyxia includes 42 million disability-adjusted life years in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the economic burden of caring for affected children. Despite this, effective therapies for perinatal asphyxia management in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lacking.

Principal Investigator: Uchechukwu M. Chukwuocha

Organization: Federal University of Technology, Owerri

Location: Imo State, Nigeria

Project Title: Interactive Digital Solution for Self-Risk Assessment and Support to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Nigeria (MaternAid-360)

Uchechukwu Chukwuocha will develop and test an interactive digital solution for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and caregivers of children under five in Nigeria named MaternAid-360. This mobile digital tool will provide self-risk assessments, educational resources, and real-time engagement with healthcare professionals, including gynaecologists, paediatricians, and community health workers. The development of the digital mobile application will employ a user-centred design approach and follow the structured methodology of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Its effectiveness will be tested through a quasi-experimental design. By addressing important maternal and child health challenges, the solution seeks to improve antenatal care, prenatal care, reduce maternal, neonatal and under-five morbidity and mortality, and enhance overall maternal and child health outcomes in underserved communities.

Principal Investigator: Dr Babasola Okusanya

Organization: College of Medicine, University of Lagos

Location: Lagos State, Nigeria

Project Title: Development of Antenatal Risk Prediction Model for Preeclampsia with Severe Features in Lagos, Nigeria - A Prospective Cohort Study (PreSev Study)

Babasola Okusanya and colleagues at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, will use known obstetric and clinical risk factors of preeclampsia in women attending the antenatal clinic before 20 weeks of gestational age to develop Machine Learning algorithms to predict women who are likely to develop preeclampsia with severe features in Lagos, Nigeria. The final Machine Learning prediction model for preeclampsia with severe features will be accessible as an online application, enabling its use at scale to improve maternal health.

Nigeria has a high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity from preeclampsia, especially preeclampsia with severe features. About half of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have preeclampsia in Nigeria, and the same proportion of pregnant women in Lagos do not have optimal complication-readiness, making the need for a model that could reliably predict a woman who would go on to develop preeclampsia with severe features critical.

Principal Investigator: Krystal Chinenye Anyanwu

Organization: Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI)

Location: Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria

Project Title: Building Innovative Responses to Transform Healthcare (BIRTH)

Through the BIRTH project, Krystal Anyanwu aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Zamfara and Adamawa States with innovative, community-centred interventions. The project will strengthen maternal healthcare by training community health workers and traditional birth attendants, distributing solar-powered birth kits and AI-driven portable ultrasounds, and equipping health facilities to manage obstetric emergencies. The project will also tackle key barriers to healthcare access by introducing emergency referral systems and launching a Birth Companion Program to increase skilled birth attendance. Recognizing the link between poverty and poor health outcomes, BIRTH will economically empower women through vocational training and financial literacy, enhancing their ability to make informed healthcare decisions. Nutritional support via Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) and community-led education will improve maternal and infant nutrition. By addressing healthcare, nutrition, and gender-related disparities in a holistic manner, BIRTH will contribute to Nigeria’s progress toward achieving SDG 3 and fostering long-term improvements in maternal and child health.

Principal Investigator: Ugochukwu Onyeonoro

Organization: Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia

Location: Abia State, Nigeria

Project Title: Cervical Cancer Screening At Scale For Nigerian Mothers - AI for Non-Expert Primary Healthcare Workers

Ugochukwu Onyeonoro will introduce an AI-based mobile cervical cancer screening - Automated Visual Evaluation (AVE) - at the primary healthcare level in Abia State. Today, only 9% of women in Nigeria have access to cervical cancer screening, a leading cause of death for mothers. In this project, an image quality assessment tool – CerVisibility, that provides live targeted feedback to the provider will be evaluated, specifically its ability to improve the image adequacy rates among lesser skilled providers. This gap is critical, as an estimated 90% of cervical images are too inadequate to allow making a reliable visual diagnosis. A 600-patient implementation research project will evaluate the potential of bringing the adequacy rate of images captured by non-experts to the same level as experts, in order to demonstrate capacity building. If successful, this tool will allow health systems to rapidly scale, by enabling non-expert primary healthcare workers to extend cervical screening to the 91% of women that lack access, ultimately saving mothers' lives.