Nigeria’s healthcare system is often judged by the number of hospitals built or doctors trained. But behind the scenes, the real crisis lies in the absence of data. In rural primary health centres, patient histories are stored in tattered notebooks, immunisation schedules are scribbled on walls, and life-or-death decisions are made without evidence.
Now, a new wave of digital tools is disrupting this picture. From electronic records and analytics dashboards to SMS-based ordering systems, Nigerian startups are proving that the key to better healthcare may not be more bricks and mortar—but smarter data. Meekam Mgbenwelu writes:
From paper to pixels: the entrepreneurial opportunity for digital tools to disrupt healthcare delivery in Nigeria
In 2014, I visited Birnin Kebbi in Nigeria’s North West as part of a nationwide tour of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities. I met dozens of dedicated healthcare workers—nurses, midwives, and community extension workers—serving their communities with courage and resilience.
Yet one thing struck me more than broken roofs or shortages of medicines: the near absence of data systems to guide their work. Patient records were kept in tattered notebooks.
Immunization schedules were scribbled on walls. Health workers, despite their best efforts, were making decisions blind—without the benefit of data to track patterns, allocate resources, or prevent outbreaks.
For rural communities, PHCs are often the only point of care. But without reliable data, these facilities cannot:
- Track maternal and child health outcomes effectively
- Spot disease outbreaks early
- Allocate scarce resources where they are most needed
These examples show that the rural health data gap is not just a crisis—it is an entrepreneurial opportunity.
Today, digital tools offer a way out of this darkness. By replacing clunky paper systems with smart, centralized platforms, clinics and hospitals can not only streamline operations but also unlock the power of data to save lives.
How digital tools can transform healthcare
| Focus Area | Benefits of Digitisation | Examples of Tools / Apps |
| Data Systems (electronic health records) | Replace paper files with secure, centralized patient histories. Enable faster, more accurate diagnoses and referrals. | Helium Health EMRs – digital medical records; Hospital Management Systems for admin workflows. |
| Tracking Patterns & Outbreak Prevention | Aggregate data to spot trends in diseases, vaccination coverage, or resource needs. Improve public health response and prevent outbreaks. | Helium Health Analytics – data dashboards; LifeBank’s “Nerve” platform – tracks supply usage and availability in real time. |
| Resource Allocation | Match supply with demand; reduce waste; ensure oxygen, blood, and medicines get where they’re needed most. | LifeBank – USSD/SMS ordering system for low-tech regions; predictive supply chain tools. |
| Operational Efficiency in Clinics & Hospitals | Digitize billing, scheduling, and patient flow. Reduce administrative burdens on health workers so they can focus on care. | Helium Health Billing & Telemedicine apps; Mobile scheduling tools. |
The entrepreneurial opportunity
Nigeria’s health system needs digitisation as urgently as it needs more doctors. The market is wide open for startups that can:
- Build low-cost, scalable data platforms that work even in resource-limited settings.
- Offer analytics-as-a-service for clinics, governments, and NGOs.
- Integrate offline-first solutions (like USSD/SMS) to reach rural facilities without internet access.
- Build for the Frontline: During my Birnin Kebbi tour, I met a midwife who had delivered hundreds of babies, yet had no structured record of her work. Imagine if a rural-focused startup equipped her with a simple tablet or app, logging births, complications, and referrals in real time. That’s not just innovation—it’s dignity through data.
Entrepreneurs who solve these challenges will not only unlock billion-dollar markets—they will empower healthcare workers with the data they need to make better decisions, prevent disease outbreaks, and save lives.
Artificial Intelligence may dominate headlines, but the foundation of any digital health revolution is basic data. Before Nigeria can dream of predictive analytics, it must first ensure rural clinics in Birnin Kebbi or Taraba have reliable ways to capture who walked through their doors.
Entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned to make this happen—faster, cheaper, and more creatively than government alone. They bring agility, risk-taking, and community-driven design.
The next frontier of healthcare in Nigeria is not more beds or more drugs—it’s smarter data.
Numeris Media is official Media Partner to GITEX Nigeria x AI Everything Nigeria
[03 – 04 September, 2025 – Lagos]