Helium Health Gets $2.5M Google.org Grant for Maternal AI

Nigerian health-technology company Helium Health has received a $2.5 million grant, about N3.4 billion, from Google.org, Google's philanthropy arm, to deploy clinical AI in maternal healthcare, Nairametrics and Vanguard reported on Wednesday, citing an announcement by Google.

The money will fund the rollout of AI models through HeliumMum, the company's maternal health programme, in Lagos, Delta, Kano and Oyo states, with Lagos as the main operational launchpad. Executives from Google and Helium Health presented the plan to Lagos governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at an executive briefing at Lagos House, Marina. Google's director for West and East Africa, Olumide Balogun, and Helium Health co-founder and chief executive Dimeji Sofowora led the delegation.

The only Nigerian pick in a $30 million challenge

The grant comes from the Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation, a $30 million global programme for organisations that work with governments to improve public services with AI. Google named the 15 recipients in September, chosen from more than 2,600 proposals. Its recipient list describes the Helium Health Foundation as helping women identify early risks and get timely, specialised maternal care, working with the four state governments. Helium Health is the only Nigerian organisation in the group, according to the reports.

Alongside the money, the recipients join a Google.org accelerator, where Google engineers and AI product experts work with them for free. Google says the projects are meant to become open blueprints that other governments can adapt.

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How HeliumMum is meant to work

HeliumMum is designed to help pregnant women spot risks early and reach the right care. It connects them to clinics and hospitals that use electronic medical records and AI clinical decision support, and gives state governments data on maternal health services, according to the company's description reported by Techeconomy.

Sofowora said the company's maternal health work has already reached more than 3.5 million women. "Google.org's support gives us an opportunity to build on that foundation, scale what works, and reach even more women with quality maternal healthcare," he said, as quoted by Vanguard.

Dr Shona Oluwatola, Helium Health's head of public health, said the goal is to reach an additional 1.9 million women over three years and contribute to a 30% reduction in maternal mortality. She noted that Nigeria accounts for nearly three in every 10 maternal deaths globally. These are the company's targets, not results.

Google.org global head Maggie Johnson said there is still a gap between what AI can do for public services and how it is used, and that the funding and pro bono help from Google's AI experts would let "the people closest to the problem" show what is possible.

The grant follows Google's Skilling Africa hub, its AI training push for the continent, announced on Monday.