The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) has committed US$9.9 million to support the use of mobile technology in improving women and children’s health. The three-year commitment will support the mHealth Alliance’s sponsorship of competitions and awarding of grants to organisations with services that can be scaled up to improve health outcomes for pregnant women, newborns and children.

Last year’s grant winners included a partnership of the Grameen Foundation and MTN Ghana that uses a fee-based service in urban areas to cross-subsidize maternal health services in rural locations. The mHA launched its latest competitive round at the same time as the announcement of Norad’s support.