Jumoke olasunkanmi
Four Nigerian innovators are set to receive $100,000 each in grant for research projects, courtesy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
BMGF announced the selection of 50 beneficiaries out of over 1,300 applications which included four Nigerians, seven South Africans and five Kenyans.
The foundation had specifically targeted researchers from low and middle income countries (LMIC) in an effort to promote inclusiveness and global equality.
“The nearly 50 selected projects from 17 LMICs are aligned with the foundation’s goal of fostering a global innovation ecosystem in places where it will have the most impact,” BMGF disclosed.
According to the foundation, the researchers are looking to develop global health solutions using Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled Large Language Models (LLM). They also noted that “responsible and safe use of AI driven LLM technology has the potential to solve some of the world’s toughest health and development challenges.”
As part of the project, researchers are expected to address different health and development issues. In Nigeria, this includes the use of LLM to support frontline health workers in low-income areas; integration of LLM for women-centered care; an adaptive learning content for rural students and leveraging LLM for financial inclusion.
BMGF’s interim Deputy Director for Technology Diffusion, Zameer Brey, added that the researchers will channel the ‘seismic power of AI and LLMs in ways that can be paradigm-shifting for their local communities and beyond.”
On her part, the Deputy Director of Global partnership and Grand Challenges, Kedest Tesfagiorgis, also stated that a global community of innovators needs to come together to maximise the potential of AI.
“Maximising the potential of AI requires a global community of creative thinkers bringing their unique perspectives and learning from each other,” she added.
