A researcher at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Ibraheem O. Awowole, has secured a US$5 million Gates Foundation-funded grant for a three-year project aimed at reducing maternal deaths in Nigeria by 60 per cent.
The project, known as Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovations in Maternal Health (PRIME), will be led by OAU and implemented in seven states: Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe and Jigawa.
Implementation partners include Jhpiego, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the ministries of health in the participating states.
The initiative targets a major public health challenge in Nigeria, which the project announcement identifies as accounting for about a quarter of global maternal deaths. It seeks to improve the identification of pregnant women at risk of complications, with particular attention to early screening for conditions such as pre-eclampsia.
Reacting to the grant, OAU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, said the project demonstrated how university research could address pressing national challenges.
“This grant shows what happens when a researcher takes a national problem and decides to lead,” Bamire said. He added that the university was proud that work originating from Ile-Ife could influence maternal healthcare delivery across the seven states and potentially the wider country.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Akanni Akinyemi, said the university had a responsibility to support researchers whose work translated evidence into practical outcomes.
He described such research as a means of delivering tangible results that reach people and improve lives.
The Provost of OAU’s College of Health Sciences, Professor Bernice Adegbehingbe, highlighted the importance of early detection in preventing deaths associated with pre-eclampsia.
She said many women who die from the condition might have been saved if screening had identified their risks earlier. According to her, PRIME would equip frontline health workers with simple, evidence-based tools to identify women who require closer monitoring and care.
Adegbehingbe also expressed appreciation to the Gates Foundation and pledged the university’s commitment to delivering the project.
OAU congratulated Awowole and his research team, reaffirming its support for the initiative.
If successful, PRIME could contribute to improving maternal risk assessment and strengthening pregnancy care in the participating states. However, the proposed 60 per cent reduction in maternal deaths remains the project’s target; the announcement does not provide a baseline, detailed measurement framework or timeline for assessing that outcome.
For information on Press Releases, Photos, Promotional Events and Adverts, Please message us on WhatsApp via (+234) 09052129258, 08124662170 or send an email to: info@educeleb.com.
