OAU researcher wins $5m Gates Foundation grant to reduce maternal deaths

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, researcher, Professor Ibraheem O. Awowole, has won a $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 across 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 seven participating states. The initiative seeks to address Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden, with the country accounting for approximately a quarter of global maternal deaths.

The Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Professor Simeon Bamire, said the grant demonstrated how research could address national challenges and improve healthcare delivery.

“This grant shows what happens when a researcher takes a national problem and decides to lead. OAU is proud that this work from Ile-Ife will shape how women are cared for in these seven states, and eventually the country as a whole,” Bamire said.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Akanni Akinyemi, said the university was committed to supporting researchers whose work translated evidence into practical solutions that improved lives.

The Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Professor Bernice Adegbehingbe, highlighted the importance of early screening for pre-eclampsia, noting that timely detection could prevent many deaths associated with the condition.

She expressed appreciation to the Gates Foundation and pledged the university’s commitment to delivering the project. OAU also congratulated Awowole and his team on the grant, reaffirming its support for the initiative and its goal of improving maternal health.