A doctor./PHOTO; Courtesy
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is at the centre of a 60 million US dollar philanthropic initiative aimed at testing how artificial intelligence tools can be used in health systems across low and middle-income countries, with Africa among the key focus regions.
The initiative, known as Evidence for AI in Health, is funded by the Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome.
It will support real-world evaluations of artificial intelligence tools in health care, focusing on how they perform in everyday clinics and community health settings rather than controlled pilot studies.
Speaking at the launch in New Delhi, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the success of artificial intelligence in health care will depend on whether it delivers meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
“AI has the power to significantly improve health care and accelerate development in Africa, but its success must ultimately be measured by the tangible improvements it brings to people’s lives,” he said.
The initiative forms part of a wider 300 million dollar global health research partnership launched by the three philanthropic organisations in 2024.
APHRC will work with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab to coordinate the programme.
The two institutions will help manage applications, guide research design, and support local researchers conducting evaluations across Africa, as well as parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Wellcome’s Executive Director for Solutions, Charlotte Watts, said there is still limited evidence on how digital health tools can be integrated into public health systems in low and middle-income countries.
“Despite the opportunity, there is limited evidence about what interventions can feasibly be integrated into health systems and primary care, to strengthen service delivery and improve health in low- and middle-income countries,” she said.
She added that stronger evidence is needed to help governments and health providers decide which tools are suitable for adoption and scale.
The programme targets a major gap in evidence on how artificial intelligence tools perform in low-resource health systems.
These tools are designed to support frontline health workers with tasks such as triage, diagnosis, and patient referral, particularly in areas where health facilities face staff shortages and limited resources.
Novo Nordisk Foundation Chief Scientific Officer Lene Oddershede said it is critical to test the tools in the environments where they will actually be used.
“The evaluation projects funded through EVAH will provide decision-makers with crucial data on efficacy, economic value, and acceptability of these technologies in the contexts where they’re most needed,” she said.
A key concern raised by the partners is the limited evidence from low and middle-income countries.
A recent review cited at the launch found that out of 86 clinical trials on AI health tools conducted between 2018 and 2023, only four were carried out in such settings.
This gap, the organisations say, limits how confidently governments can adopt new technologies and raises concerns about whether tools developed in high-income countries are suitable for African health systems.
Under the programme, selected studies will assess how well AI tools work in practice, how much they cost to implement, and how they are perceived by health workers and communities.
The research will also examine how easily the tools can be integrated into existing health systems.
Trevor Mundel, President of Global Health at the Gates Foundation, said artificial intelligence could help strengthen health systems and improve care delivery, particularly in underserved communities, but only if it is properly tested.
“We are already seeing the positive impact AI can have in global health—reducing inequities and enabling frontline workers and health systems to deliver more effective, tailored care,” he said.
He added that rigorous evaluation is essential to ensure promising innovations move beyond pilot stages and can be scaled responsibly.
All findings will be published openly, with an emphasis on ethical use, data protection, and equity.
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