Gates Foundation

When people can safely, efficiently spend and receive money digitally, economies grow stronger. Countries like India, Kenya, and Brazil, which are building digital public infrastructure (DPI), including national digital payments systems, are already seeing results: reduced poverty, expanded financial access, and increased economic power for women. DPI is more than just digital access—it’s a pathway to economic opportunity and resilience. Now is the time to invest in systems that work for everyone.

You’ve never taken a road trip like this before. 🚗 Strong DPI is made up of systems like digital ID, digital payments, and data exchange. Together, these lay the groundwork for nations to unlock the digital economy and efficiently connect people, data, and money. With a trusted ID and digital payment, people can access vital services including bank accounts, business loans, healthcare, and more. Trusted and inclusive DPI isn’t merely a digital upgrade; it is a transformative pathway to inclusion and prosperity for all.

The world has made tremendous gains this century—halving global maternal and child mortality rates and saving millions of people from deadly diseases—but this progress is now in jeopardy. Now more than ever, the Gates Foundation is committed to continuing this lifesaving work, but we can’t do it alone. Countries are committing to step up. Progress is possible, but it requires continued global funding and support. Read more from our CEO Mark Suzman in The Economist: https://econ.st/4jcA8gS

Why are pregnant women still dying from preventable health conditions? Partially because doctors need better tools to give moms essential care during pregnancy. In many countries, including Pakistan, pregnant women are losing their lives to treatable conditions such as high blood pressure. But, Dr. Maryam Mustafa and her team refused to accept this reality, so they built an AI-powered solution to help change it. Awaaz-e-Sehat (Voice for Health) supplements medical care by helping women identify symptoms of critical conditions at home before it’s too late. It can flag symptoms with nearly six times the accuracy of in-person consultations, potentially saving thousands of lives in Pakistan. With AI, Dr. Mustafa is working to revolutionize maternal care one conversation, one clinic, and one patient at a time. https://gates.ly/42u99Gv

Fact or Fiction?

Millions of moms and babies are at risk. These are the advancements changing the landscape of maternal health ⬇️ 1. Higher quality supplements Mom’s nutrition = baby’s nutrition. Multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) have 15 essential micronutrients to prevent low birthweight, anemia, stillbirths, and more. 2. IV Iron Anemia is incredibly common among pregnant women. To replace iron tablets, a one-time, 15-minute iron IV can restore iron levels for healthier pregnancies. 3. Intrapartum sensors This is a sensor a mom wears on her belly to track her contractions and baby’s heartbeat. Doctors can monitor that data in real time, enabling faster, better decisions on care. 4. AI ultrasounds Regular ultrasounds can be clunky, expensive, and hard to read. New ultrasounds that use AI tech are easier and cheaper to use, expanding this critical care to millions of women. 5. PPH drape After childbirth, this plastic sheet is placed under mom to catch and track blood loss, helping health workers gauge excessive bleeding at a glance. These technologies bring us closer to a world where healthy moms give birth to healthy babies.

How can AI save the lives of millions of mothers and babies? Ask the medical professionals using it. Jane, Grace, and Veronica are trained in using AI-powered ultrasounds: a lighter, cheaper, easier-to-use version of the traditional technology that can reduce fetal deaths by 20%. In a world where over two-thirds of pregnant women lack ultrasound access, AI ultrasounds are making safer pregnancies possible. To ensure no mother or baby dies from a preventable cause, we must continue investing in innovation to make preventative care more accessible. What are some other ways that AI could improve prenatal healthcare?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is unlocking new solutions to help solve global challenges—discover the stories of two innovators harnessing AI to improve lives across Africa. Meet Nneka Mobisson. After losing her father to a preventable health condition, Nneka channeled her grief into a mission to help people across Africa living with chronic diseases. She co-founded mymdoc, a health tech company in Lagos, Nigeria, that created Kem, an AI chatbot that provides people with critical health information in both Nigerian Pidgin and English. "We recognized that by investing in preventative care and focusing on behavior change and nudges, we’d be able to stop what happened to my father from happening to other families,” says Nneka. Meet Darlington Akogo, founder & CEO of minoHealth AI Labs. With only one doctor for every 10,000 people living in Ghana, Darlington knew a shortage of clinicians shouldn’t determine someone’s medical fate. So, he decided to make a difference by creating “AI digital doctors” to give Africans control of their health. "We are finally on the path of what the true dream of AI is. If we can use it to actually improve and save lives, I think that is the ultimate AI achievement." Innovators like Nneka and Darlington are showing how AI can bridge critical gaps in healthcare—paving the way for a future where everyone has the tools they need to live healthier lives.

We're thrilled to share a recent op-ed co-authored by our very own Africa Director, Paulin BASINGA, and Evelyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer at Science for Africa Foundation.    In "Why Africa has a real chance to lead the way in AI," Paulin and Evelyn make a compelling case for Africa's potential to drive innovation and growth through artificial intelligence.    Read this insightful piece here: https://lnkd.in/dnwXRgWv   Let's continue to amplify African voices and perspectives in the global conversation on AI and beyond!     #AfricaInAI #Innovation #GlobalHealth

Excessive bleeding after childbirth is the number one cause of maternal deaths worldwide. But, there is a solution. Hadiza Galadanci found an answer after saving her cousin’s life during a near-fatal postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Half of the women who have PPH are never diagnosed because health workers often struggle to determine how much blood loss is too much. The solution, however, is “shockingly straightforward”: a plastic sheet and pouch placed under a mom to collect blood, helping health workers measure the collected blood quickly and accurately. This simple tool is transforming care in Nigeria and beyond, bringing us closer to a world where all women have healthy pregnancies, healthy deliveries, and healthy babies. What other innovations does the world need so all moms and their children get a safe start?