Getting to scale: Responsible AI systems to improve maternal and newborn health in Africa

Although the value of scaling up AI-enabled solutions to improve health outcomes is recognized widely, there are few documented examples of successful scaling trajectories in the Global South, and even fewer in the public sector.

Jacaranda Health is a Kenyan non-profit organization, whose vision is that all mothers have a safe and respected pregnancy journey. Its platform, PROMPTS (PROmoting Mothers during Pregnancy Through SMS), uses AI and other digital technology to empower mothers to seek care at the right time and place, and build agency when choosing how to connect themselves to care providers and related services.  Beginning in 2016 with three public health facilities in a single Kenyan county, the platform has since grown to serve nearly 3 million women across thousands of public health facilities. In addition to the widespread adoption and use in Kenya, the platform has since expanded its tailored implementation to other countries.

This project will systematically document and analyze that scaling journey in Kenya. It will also conduct research on two live scaling journeys currently underway in Tanzania and Ghana. Ongoing scaling efforts are expected to reach an additional 2 million women in all three countries.

By capturing the experiences in Kenya, as well as mapping out different scaling conditions and pathways in two other countries, and at different stages of implementation, the results from this project will fill an important void for governments, researchers and health decision-makers as to how to design and evaluate the use of responsible AI solutions to improve maternal health outcomes at scale. This will shift the focus away from isolated pilot projects to integrated system-wide efforts that are sustainable. Outputs include operational and policy briefs, tailored roadmaps, case study reports, toolkits, peer-reviewed articles and human-interest stories.

This project is a part of the Artificial Intelligence for Development program, a partnership between IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It aims to support policy, innovations and expanded leadership to spur safe and responsible AI in Africa. The vision is to support an inclusive, responsible AI ecosystem that improves quality of life in Africa and beyond.