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To facilitate the practical application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) to the development of simple, scalable digital solutions for public health challenges, the International Research Center of Excellence (IRCE) at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has organized a hackathon.

The one day novel event was one of the activities hosted as part of the 4th IRCE Annual Scientific Symposium in Abuja.

Two teams of six each participated in identifying AL/ML applications to; infectious disease screening using structured clinical and programmatic indicators andclinical documentation using a hybrid approach.

The winning team bagged a ₦300,000.00 while the runner-up team went home with ₦150,000.00

At the event, IRCE Executive Director, Prof. Alash’le Abimiku emphasized the importance of leveraging data from government and other relevant sources to develop innovative solutions to infectious diseases and pandemics that disproportionately affect Africa and have implications for the global community.

“The hackathon is a platform for our young and early career researchers to try new AI innovations,” she said.

Prof Abimiku is also the Contact Principal Investigator for the INFORM Africa project which sponsored the hackathon.

She highlighted the various INFORM Africa pilot activities aimed at addressing infectious diseases, strengthening data-driven decision-making and improving pandemic preparedness.

INFORM Africa, brings together a multisectoral and multidisciplinary group of investigators with complementary expertise in data science, infectious disease epidemiology, geospatial statistics and agent-based modeling, community-wide and health surveillance systems, infectious disease medicine, immunology, mobility epidemics, bioinformatics and molecular evolution to collectively work on emerging pandemics like SARS-CoV-2   and their relationship with HIV-1 in Nigeria and South Africa.

INFORM Africa Research Project is a collaboration between the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), their partner universities in the United States and South Africa, as well as an industry collaborator from Zambia (AKROS). 

The International Research Center of Excellence (IRCE) at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has hosted the 4th International Scientific Symposium (ISS 2026), which brought together over 250 researchers, scientists, public health specialists, health business leaders and policy makers to deliberate on utilizing innovative technologies to address public health challenges.

ISS 2026 Chair and IRCE Executive Director, Prof. Alash’le Abimiku said that the gathering was a forum to bring together stakeholders to discuss opportunities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) offers in making progress despite challenges in funding public health research.

“We need to come together to discuss how to utilize innovative tools, the ethics we need to be able to do that, and the policies we have about sharing data. The call to action is that as researchers, we understand the new opportunities that artificial intelligence has presented us.”

She stressed the need for a fusion of efforts between young and established researchers to bring the knowledge of AI and the experience in public health into areas requiring AI application to address public health challenges locally.

“As a collective scientific body, we need to collaborate to support the Government of Nigeria as we understand the national data available and the communities that we protect.”

ISS 2026 Key Note Speaker, one of Africa’s foremost Virologists, Prof Oyewale Tomori, explained that there is a need to take advantage of technology to quicken research processes.

“We can do faster with AI and turn this country around, if we take advantage of all the information available. Efforts are being made by the government but we can get better results for all the efforts they are putting by using AI, not just in disease surveillance but in every aspect even in the social structures and budgeting.”

Prof Tomori added that, “Sometimes, we focus on health, but there are other issues around health like good water supply to reduce water borne diseases, good road infrastructure for quick access to services. This is what AI brings together to give a better option.”

Also at the symposium, a representative from the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Dr. Saidu Saad, added that, “emerging technologies are playing a big role, we need to understand how to use it appropriately to help us with sustainable healthcare research and funding.”

The two-day symposium held at the IHVN Campus in Abuja from 31st August to 1st September 2026. It featured plenary sessions, panel discussions, abstract presentations, and networking around the theme, “Shaping the Future of Public Health Research: Sustainable Funding, AI/ML and Innovation.”

In fostering an excellent work culture and staff performance, the Executive Management of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has initiated the “Employee Recognition Awards” to recognize “Employees of the Month” and “Employee of the Year.”

According to Dr. Olu Alabi, the IHVN Director of Finance and Administration, this recognition encompasses overall employee performance in areas such as dress code, innovation, teamwork, productivity, efficiency, leadership, interpersonal skills, punctuality, and adherence to company values and principles, among other factors.

For August 2026, IHVN celebrates Temitope Olugbo, Emmanuella N. Emmanuel, Oreoluwa Fawehinmi, Olubunmi Karen Kehinde, Panji Albert Daser, Ene Olong, Dooshima Solomon Jiwul, Haruna Sabo and Ekarika Godwin, whose performance stood out in their teams.

Hearty cheers to our August star performers!