Nigerian AI Scientist’s GenMRI Cuts Scan Time by 90% – Wins $100k NLNG Prize

By Trending9ja Staff • October 16, 2026 • 4 min read

Mary-Brenda Akoda, a UK-based Nigerian AI researcher and Google DeepMind Scholar, has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation worth $100,000 for GenMRI, software that reduces MRI scan times by up to 90% on existing machines.

A 20-minute scan can become two minutes; an hour-long scan can drop to six minutes. The technology has been validated on more than 8,800 images and found diagnostically equivalent by radiologists.

Akoda is seeking hospital partners in Nigeria and the UK for a 2027 rollout. Nigeria has only about 0.3 MRI machines per million people. The Federal Government has congratulated her and pledged support.

Sources: THISDAY · NAN · ITPulse · NLNG