Abuja:Experts are urging the development and adoption of trusted, locally-developed AI solutions to tackle healthcare challenges in Nigeria. This call was highlighted during a pre-summit webinar on AI in health, where the potential benefits and obstacles of using emerging technologies in the health sector were discussed.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Abimbola Adebakin, CEO of Advantage Health Africa, emphasized the importance of trust in using AI for healthcare, describing health as a sector with low tolerance for error. Advantage Health Africa has integrated AI into its ‘myMedicines’ platform by initially using familiar communication channels like WhatsApp to build user trust.
Adebakin pointed out that AI is being used not only in last-mile healthcare delivery but also in helping patients understand drug interactions and manage medicine storage. Additionally, AI supports backend pharmacy operations, such as demand forecasting and inventory control.
Co-founder of AwaDoc, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, address
ed the concerns of misinformation and deepfakes, highlighting the increasing misuse of AI to clone trusted figures and spread false health information. He called for greater public exposure to verified health data to help distinguish authentic information from fake content.
Dr. Kieva Chris-Amusan, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Fertitude, noted that women are more likely to use AI-powered health solutions if they are safe, private, and effective. She emphasized the importance of incorporating local languages and cultural contexts into AI solutions for Nigerian users.
Panelists at the webinar identified issues such as poor design thinking and lack of institutional validation as barriers to scaling AI in Nigeria’s healthcare. They called for clear data protection policies, a unified health service identifier, and government-supported infrastructure to foster innovation.
The webinar was part of the lead-up to the main AI in Health Summit, organized by the Africa Hub for Innovation and Development, aimed
at exploring AI’s role in improving healthcare outcomes in Nigeria.