Vice President, Kashim Shettima, yesterday, launched Grand Challenges Nigeria (GCNg), a national innovation programme aimed at revolutionising Nigeria’s healthcare through locally-developed solutions.

The initiative, which is part of the global Grand Challenges network, will focus on maternal and child health challenges in the first phase. At the launch, which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Shettima disclosed that the initiative became necessary following an urgency occasioned by the rapid pace at which the world “is evolving in the realms of science and technology.”

He stressed the importance of contextualising solutions to national challenges, describing it as “a cardinal message” of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, just as he said the initiative would promote groundbreaking research and build local expertise, among others.

“This initiative is more than a response to problems; it is an avenue to promote groundbreaking research, build local expertise, form strategic partnerships, and engage communities in co-creating culturally relevant solutions,” Shettima said.

He explained that the programme would integrate with existing government healthcare initiatives, including Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Nutrition 774 programme.

In his keynote remarks, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said Grand Challenges Nigeria aimed at developing local solutions to critical issues confronting Nigerians.

The minister noted that the model aligned with President Tinubu’s eight-point agenda,. using innovation to drive prosperity and growth, and, in the process, empowering researchers and innovators.

On his part, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, applauded the commitment of the Federal Government to the launch of the initiative, noting that the programme would go a long way in complementing existing efforts in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in Nigeria.

On her part, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwulah, said the launch of the Grand Challenges Nigeria reflected the commitment of the administration towards reforming the economy and ensuring food security by leveraging solutions that are homegrown and rooted in the values of communities across the country.