Abuja: Medical experts and global health partners have advocated strategic integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and local capacity building to sustain public health research and data management in Nigeria. The stakeholders made this known at the fourth Annual Scientific Symposium organised by the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE), Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) in Abuja, with stakeholders examining innovation.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the two-day symposium was themed: ‘Shaping the Future of Public Health Research: Sustainable Funding, AI/ML and Innovation,’ and focused on technology-driven solutions for sustainable scientific research and healthcare delivery across Africa. Speaking via a recorded message, IHVN Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Dakum, emphasized that data-driven innovation and technology are crucial to addressing emerging and future public health threats in Nigeria.
Dr. Dakum stated, “This symposium will stimulate your minds, especially the young researchers, to think and carry out basic research, implementation research, and innovations related to AI and public health.” He highlighted that the 22-year-old institute established IRCE after recognizing the importance of rigorous local research for effective public health implementation and sustainable healthcare development across Nigeria and Africa.
Professor Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of IRCE, noted that dwindling international research funding necessitates the adoption of advanced technologies to sustain scientific research, innovation, and local solutions across Africa and Nigeria. She warned that data quality must be strictly monitored to prevent unreliable information from compromising machine learning algorithms, research findings, and public health decisions.
Corroborating her position, IHVN Managing Director, Dr. Charles Mensah, emphasized that researchers need not wait for flawless or large-scale datasets before deploying AI tools effectively in research. He pointed out that a rich but smaller dataset could initiate training, with AI models improving progressively as more data are generated, validated, and incorporated from field activities and research programs.
Professor Rose Anorlu, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Lagos, called for the elimination of professional silos and strengthened inter-institutional collaboration. She urged the Federal Government to remove political bottlenecks from scientific environments to enable domestic research to advance without unnecessary constraints and delays.
Dr. Temitope Ilori, Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), emphasized that locally generated data is crucial for targeted health policies and interventions nationwide. “With Artificial Intelligence for big data analysis, we can improve our public health systems, particularly in disease surveillance and ensuring targeted service delivery to the most vulnerable population,” she said.
Delivering a keynote address, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, a foremost virologist, highlighted that public health systems must consider environmental realities, as climate change alters health risks across Africa. He stressed the importance of integrating meteorological datasets into public health research to predict outbreaks before they become national emergencies.
Dr. Etien Koua from the World Health Organization (WHO) urged African countries to build domestic digital capacity, emphasizing fair governance and investment in capacity and equity. Panellists at the symposium also raised concerns over the low proportion of global data generated from Africa, urging governments to form united coalitions when entering agreements with foreign entities to safeguard health sovereignty.
The symposium received support from local and international organizations, including APIN Public Health Initiatives, KNCV Nigeria, and the International Science Council, pledging collaborative efforts to position Nigeria as a regional hub for advanced clinical and planetary health research.