Nigerian researcher Oloko develops framework for AI governance in healthcare

 

As healthcare organisations around the world increase investment in artificial intelligence (AI), questions remain about why many projects fail to improve patient care despite significant funding and technical advances.

For Nigerian-trained pharmacist, health systems researcher and policy analyst Omodunni Adejoke Oloko, the problem is not the technology itself but the systems responsible for implementing it.

Rather than focusing only on AI tools, Oloko believes healthcare organisations must strengthen governance, organisational readiness and implementation processes if they want technology to produce measurable results.

Her work, which combines experience from Nigeria’s public health and pharmaceutical sectors with graduate studies in the United States, is now contributing to discussions on how healthcare systems can adopt AI in a safe and practical way.

Oloko is currently developing research on AI governance and organisational readiness in healthcare. Her study proposes a framework that identifies five organisational capabilities that influence whether AI projects succeed or fail. These include governance ownership, clinical workflow integration, clinical validation processes, change management maturity and data architecture readiness.

The research is being prepared for submission to Health Policy and Technology, Elsevier’s journal covering digital health, health technology assessment and technology-driven health policy.

The ideas behind the study were formed long before AI became a major focus in healthcare.

After graduating from the University of Lagos Faculty of Pharmacy in 2016, Oloko joined a Global Fund-supported programme working on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria interventions. As a data analyst, she examined how medicines and health commodities moved through healthcare facilities.

During the programme, she observed that many healthcare systems struggled with delayed information and limited visibility into medicine distribution. Stock shortages occurred alongside expired medicines because decision-makers often lacked timely data to guide action.

To improve oversight, she developed data visualisation dashboards that provided better visibility across medicine distribution networks serving hundreds of healthcare facilities.

The experience shaped her understanding of the relationship between technology and institutional capacity.

“Technology alone rarely solves institutional problems,” she argues. “The real challenge is whether organisations possess the structures and governance mechanisms required to use technology effectively.”

She later joined Sanofi Nigeria, where she worked in diabetes and specialty care. The role provided a different perspective on healthcare by focusing on patient access to treatment.

Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest diabetes burdens, but access to treatment continues to be affected by affordability, shortages of specialist care and wider challenges within the healthcare system.

Working with physicians, healthcare institutions and other stakeholders, Oloko gained experience in the policy, commercial and behavioural factors that influence treatment uptake.

That experience now supports another research project examining pharmaceutical access strategies and prescription uptake for oral antidiabetic therapies in sub-Saharan Africa. The study aims to provide evidence that can inform discussions on access, affordability and treatment outcomes across low- and middle-income countries.

According to Oloko, both projects focus on a common issue: how policy decisions are translated into practice.

As governments and healthcare providers continue investing in AI, she believes many organisations are moving faster than their institutional preparedness.

“Healthcare organisations are being encouraged to adopt AI, but many still lack practical frameworks for assessing whether they are actually prepared to do so,” she notes.

Her research seeks to help healthcare leaders assess organisational readiness before introducing AI into clinical settings, turning broad policy guidance into practical tools for implementation.

In May 2025, Oloko graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Public Health and an MBA in Analytics, Leadership and Innovation. She was also inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society, Alpha Chapter, a public health academic society.

Her international recognition, however, began before her studies in the United States.

Since 2019, she has served as a peer reviewer for several international journals, including The Lancet Global Health, The Lancet Public Health, The Lancet Digital Health, Health Policy and the International Journal of Medical Informatics.

Her first invitation to review scientific research came while she was still based in Lagos, reflecting recognition of her professional experience and analytical work before earning her graduate degrees.

Oloko believes the challenges facing healthcare systems are often similar across countries, even when resources differ. Questions around governance, data management and implementation affect both developed and developing health systems.

As healthcare enters a period of increased AI adoption, her research focuses on helping organisations build the systems needed to support responsible use of the technology.

While AI continues to transform healthcare, Oloko argues that lasting progress will depend not only on new technology but also on the institutions responsible for putting it into practice.