A researcher at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Ibraheem O. Awowole, has secured a $5 million Gates Foundation-funded grant to implement a three-year maternal health intervention aimed at reducing maternal deaths in Nigeria by 60 per cent.
The project, known as Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovations in Maternal Health (PRIME), is designed to strengthen the identification of pregnant women at risk of life-threatening complications and improve the delivery of timely, appropriate healthcare. It will be led by OAU and implemented in seven states during its initial phase.
The participating states are Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe and Jigawa. The initiative will involve implementation partners, including Jhpiego, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Ministries of Health in the seven participating states.
The grant comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s persistent maternal mortality challenge. The country accounts for approximately a quarter of maternal deaths worldwide, underscoring the urgency of interventions that can improve pregnancy monitoring, identify complications early and strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers to respond before conditions become fatal.
Through PRIME, Awowole and his team intend to address gaps in the identification and management of pregnancy-related risks. The project’s emphasis on risk stratification is intended to help healthcare providers distinguish women who may require additional monitoring or specialised care from those who can continue receiving routine antenatal services.
The initiative also places emphasis on early detection of potentially fatal conditions, including pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure that can threaten the lives of both mothers and their babies if not identified and managed promptly.
Reacting to the award, OAU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, described the grant as evidence of the value of research that responds directly to national challenges and seeks practical solutions to problems affecting citizens.
“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 Vice-Chancellor’s remarks highlighted the university’s ambition to translate academic research into interventions capable of improving healthcare delivery beyond the institution. With implementation extending across seven states, the project is expected to bring together university researchers, government health agencies and implementation partners in a coordinated effort to improve maternal health outcomes.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Akanni Akinyemi, also emphasised the responsibility of universities to support research that delivers measurable benefits to society.
“The university’s job is to back researchers that can translate evidence into tangible results that reach people and transform lives,” Akinyemi said.
His remarks reflect the growing importance of research partnerships and the application of evidence-based interventions to address public health challenges. In maternal healthcare, the ability to identify risks early and ensure that women receive the right level of care can be critical to preventing avoidable complications and deaths.
The Provost of OAU’s College of Health Sciences, Professor Bernice Adegbehingbe, drew attention to the potential consequences of delayed screening for pregnancy-related complications, particularly pre-eclampsia.
“Most women who die from pre-eclampsia could have been saved if screening had been carried out early to detect the risk. A project like PRIME puts simple, proven tools in the hands of the health workers who see these women first. We are grateful to the Gates Foundation, and we will deliver,” Adegbehingbe said.
Her comments underline the importance of equipping frontline healthcare workers with practical tools for recognising warning signs and determining when pregnant women need further assessment or urgent intervention. Early identification, followed by appropriate management and referral, is a key component of efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths.
The involvement of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Jhpiego and the seven state Ministries of Health is expected to connect the research programme with the health systems responsible for providing maternal care. The partnership structure also brings together research leadership, implementation expertise and government institutions across different geographical areas.
The selection of states spanning the South-West and northern parts of Nigeria gives the initial phase a multi-state reach. However, the extent to which the intervention can achieve its 60 per cent maternal mortality reduction target will depend on effective implementation, access to screening and follow-up care, the capacity of health workers, and the ability of participating health facilities to respond to identified risks.
For OAU, the award represents an opportunity to demonstrate how university-led research can contribute to tackling a major national health concern. It also places responsibility on the project team and its partners to ensure that the funding produces tangible improvements in the identification and management of pregnancy complications.
The university has congratulated Awowole and his team on securing the grant and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the project. The three-year programme is expected to focus on putting the PRIME approach into practice across the participating states, with maternal health outcomes serving as a central measure of its impact.
If successfully implemented, the project could contribute to strengthening pregnancy risk assessment and maternal healthcare delivery in the participating states, while generating evidence that may inform wider efforts to reduce maternal deaths across Nigeria.
