Healthcare and AI experts have urged developers to build localised health solutions. They spoke at a national pre-summit webinar. The event was organised by the Africa Hub for Innovation and Development (AFHID). The experts called for solutions that incorporate Nigerian languages. They also called for a single health identifier system modeled on the BVN.
Nigeria’s health system is fragmented. Patient records are paper-based. They are lost between facilities. Duplication is common. In 2023, the government announced plans for a national health information system. Implementation has been slow. AI offers solutions. It can diagnose, triage and predict outbreaks. But AI models are trained on foreign data. They do not understand Nigerian languages. They do not recognise local disease patterns. The experts want localised models.
The webinar brought together healthcare professionals, AI developers and policymakers. They agreed on several points. First, AI solutions must speak Nigerian languages. Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin are essential. English alone excludes millions. Second, a single health identifier is needed. The BVN model works for banking. A similar system for health would link records across facilities. It would improve continuity of care. It would also enable research.
The experts acknowledged challenges. Data is scarce. Infrastructure is weak. Funding is limited. But the opportunity is real. Nigeria has a large tech sector. It has health data. It has talent. The missing piece is coordination. AFHID is trying to provide it.
The pre-summit webinar is part of a larger event. The main summit will follow. The goal is a national strategy. The experts want government buy-in. They want private investment. They want developers to build for Nigeria, not just for export.
Winners: AI developers, who gain direction. Healthcare providers, who gain tools. Patients, who gain better care. The government, if it adopts the recommendations. Losers: Foreign AI firms, which face competition. Developers who ignore local context. The health system, if the recommendations remain talk.
Bottom Line: Experts want localised AI health solutions. Nigerian languages. A single health identifier. The ideas are sound. Implementation is the test. Nigeria’s health system needs innovation. AI can help. It must be built for Nigeria.