Nigerian artificial intelligence researcher Mary Brenda Akoda has been named the 2026 winner of the Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation (NPSI) for GenScan AI, a technology that uses machine learning to slash MRI scan times by up to 90% without new hardware.
Announced at a Lagos press conference on Tuesday, Akoda emerged from a record 237 entries—the highest in the prize’s history—to become its first individual female winner and first millennial laureate.
Why GenScan AI stood out
GenScan AI (also referred to as GenMRI/C-MORE) applies a one-step consistency model framework to reconstruct MRI images faster while preserving or improving diagnostic quality.
Judges said the innovation combines advanced AI with clear, real-world healthcare impact: it can boost scanner utilisation, cut patient waiting times, and expand access to MRI services in resource-constrained systems like Nigeria’s.
The 2026 theme— “Innovations in Artificial Intelligence, ICT and Digital Technologies for Development”—helped frame the assessment criteria: scientific novelty, technical soundness, developmental relevance, and commercial scalability.
About the winner
Akoda is a First-Class Computer Science graduate from Goldsmiths, University of London, and holds a Master of Research with Distinction in AI and Machine Learning from Imperial College London, where she was a Google DeepMind Scholar.
She has worked as a software engineer and AI research scientist at Microsoft, including at the Microsoft Mixed Reality and AI Research Lab in Cambridge.
She will receive the US$100,000 prize at the Grand Award Night on October 9, 2026.
Prize context and significance
The Nigeria LNG–backed NPSI aims to promote excellence in scientific research and innovation with tangible societal impact, complementing federal efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr Sophia Horsfall, noted the 2025 edition recorded “no winner,” underscoring the bar for this year’s selection.
Professor Barth Nnaji, Chairman of the NPSI Advisory Board, said the unanimous choice of GenScan AI reflected its quality and potential to address significant healthcare challenges.
What this means for Nigeria’s health-tech landscape
By reducing MRI acquisition times dramatically without hardware upgrades, GenScan AI could help Nigerian hospitals serve more patients per scanner, lower costs per scan, and improve throughput in public and private facilities.
The win also signals growing global recognition for Nigerian-led AI applications in critical sectors such as health, aligning with recent government moves like NITDA’s planned National Innovation Hub Standards Framework to strengthen startup support.
