Google.org awards $2.5m grant to Helium Health to improve maternal care in Nigeria

Google.org has awarded Nigerian health technology startup Helium Health a $2.5 million grant to deploy artificial intelligence tools across primary maternal healthcare. The funding aims to target 1.9 million pregnant women over the next three years to help reduce Nigeria's high maternal mortality burden.

The funding was announced on Wednesday, making Helium Health the only Nigerian organisation selected among 15 global recipients of Google.org's $30 million Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation. This challenge supports the use of artificial intelligence to improve public services through partnerships with governments. The initiative will deploy clinical AI models through Helium Health's maternal healthcare programme, known as HeliumMum. The program will help community health workers identify pregnancy complications early, connect women to appropriate medical care, and improve clinical decision-making at primary healthcare facilities.

Programme Rollout and Goals

Nigeria accounts for nearly 30 percent of maternal deaths globally, making it one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality burdens. The deployment seeks to contribute to a 30 percent reduction in maternal deaths by identifying women at risk before complications become life-threatening.

The programme will begin in Lagos, which will serve as its primary operational base, before expanding to Delta, Kano, and Oyo states. The implementation roadmap was presented to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at Lagos House, Marina, during a meeting involving executives from Google and Helium Health.

Dimeji Sofowora, chief executive officer of Helium Health, said the grant would enable the company to expand its maternal healthcare interventions, building on initiatives that have reached more than 3.5 million women. Shona Oluwatola, head of public health at Helium Health, said the programme aims to reach an additional 1.9 million women within three years, with early identification of pregnancy risks central to reducing preventable deaths.

The technology will connect pregnant women with healthcare providers equipped with electronic medical records and AI-powered clinical decision support systems. It will also provide governments with actionable health data to identify service gaps, strengthen maternal health interventions, and improve resource allocation.

Support from Google

Google.org said the 15 organisations selected for the global challenge would receive funding alongside technical support from Google engineers and AI product experts through a dedicated accelerator programme. Maggie Johnson, global head of Google.org, said the initiative was designed to help organisations working directly with governments translate AI's potential into practical improvements in public services.

The deployment comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with weaknesses in primary healthcare delivery, including shortages of skilled health workers, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to essential services, and delays in identifying pregnancy-related complications. While artificial intelligence could improve early risk detection and support clinical decisions, the programme's effectiveness will depend on how well the technology integrates into existing public healthcare facilities and whether frontline health workers can use it consistently.