In a move that could reshape Nigeria’s vaccination landscape, healthtech organisation HelpMum Africa has officially handed over six digital vaccine solutions to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The handover, held on August 22, was attended by officials from the NPHCDA, alongside representatives from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The event marks a meaningful step toward potential integration into Nigeria’s national immunisation program.
Nigeria has the highest number of “zero-dose” children in Africa , over 2.2 million who have never received a single vaccine. Globally, that figure is 14 million. Despite years of campaigns, vaccine hesitancy, missed appointments, and poor record-keeping keep standing in the way.
That’s where HelpMum wants to make a difference. Backed by the $12 million VaxSocial Initiative, Gavi’s partnership with global giants, Meta and MSD (Merck), HelpMum has developed digital tools that combine artificial intelligence (AI), WhatsApp, and behavioral science to solve some of Nigeria’s vaccine bottlenecks.
The six tools going national cover different parts of the vaccine journey – from parents, to clinics, to government monitoring.
At its core is the HelpMum Vaccination Tracker tool, a mobile and web app that allows parents and caregivers to easily monitor and manage their children’s vaccination schedules from birth to age five. So far, the tracker has registered close to 400,000 caregivers. Supporting this is the HelpMum Monitoring Dashboard, which gives health authorities real-time insights into how the tracker is being used and its overall reach.
To strengthen record-keeping, the Government Vaccination Verification System makes it possible to instantly verify and update vaccination records, and on the caregiver side, HelpMum VaxBot, a WhatsApp-based chatbot, has already engaged 170,000 unique users with reminders and educational content to encourage positive behavior toward vaccines.
HelpMum has also built HelpMum VaxAI, an AI-powered assistant that provides accurate, real-time responses to vaccination and immunisation questions. Finally, the HelpMum AI Translator Model bridges communication gaps through its two-way translation of vaccine content across Nigeria’s three major languages: Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Though still new, the translator has already been downloaded 149 times by other health organisations and researchers across the world
“This milestone reflects HelpMum’s long-term vision of collaborating with government. It guarantees that our solutions will be sustained and scaled,” says Dr. Abiodun Adereni, Founder and CEO of HelpMum.
Founded in 2017 by Tony Elumelu Foundation alumnus Dr. Adereni, HelpMum began with clean birth kits for underserved communities. Since then, HelpMum has grown into one of Nigeria’s most recognised digital health innovators, winning more than $2 million in grants.
HelpMum is currently providing technical support to the NPHCDA to explore the integration of these tools into Nigeria’s immunisation program
“HelpMum’s digital innovations are designed to address the barriers to vaccine uptake by providing timely vaccination reminders and delivering credible information through our AI-powered chatbot supporting caregivers navigate their child’s vaccination journey with confidence. Also, as sectors around the world adopt digital solutions, healthcare must not be left behind,” says Oluwaseun Odunsi, Head of Research and Evaluation, HelpMum.
If successful, the innovations could be scaled across Nigeria and replicated in other Gavi-supported countries.
