Access Heart Foundation

Access Heart Foundation (AHF) is a Nigerian nonprofit organisation dedicated to eliminating preventable cardiovascular and maternal deaths across Nigeria. We work at the intersection of community-based cardiac detection, maternal-cardiovascular health, and the development of specialist cardiac infrastructure, reaching patients at every point of the care continuum, from the first community screening to the operating theatre.

Our Mission and Vision

Our mission is to strengthen cardiovascular health systems, expand access to specialist care, and ensure that no life is limited by where someone is born or what they can afford. Our vision is a Nigeria where every person, regardless of geography or income, can access world-class cardiovascular care.

Our Programmes

AHF operates across two core mandates.

Our first mandate is community-based maternal cardiovascular health. In formal partnership with various State Ministries of Health, we implement the TBA Safer Births Programme - training Traditional Birth Attendants to detect preeclampsia, the second leading cause of maternal death in Nigeria, and refer high-risk pregnancies to specialist care. Our programme has reached nearly 100,000 women and achieved a 35% reduction in maternal mortality ratio in implementation areas.

Our second mandate is the development of specialist cardiac infrastructure. We are completing Northern Nigeria's first dedicated cardiac and cardio-renal centre in Kano, a facility designed to serve a catchment population of over 100 million people who currently have nearly no access to cardiac surgery within the region. The physical facility is built. Equipment is arriving. The centre will deliver services across adult and paediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, nephrology, and critical care. Through our 1,000 Heart Initiative, the centre will provide structured pro bono cardiac surgery to patients who cannot otherwise afford it.

Our Partners and Supporters

AHF has built a growing network of distinguished partners. Our government partners include the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, the Lagos State Health Research Ethics Committee, the Kano State Government, and the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency. Our distinguished patrons include His Royal Majesty the Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II. We have received in-kind support from international philanthropic donors, a US-based faith-led partner organisation, and have been engaged with the British Deputy High Commission. We have represented Nigeria at the World Heart Federation's World Heart Summit in Geneva. We are in active partnership discussions with leading cardiac institutions in the United States and internationally.

Future Planned Activities

In the near term, AHF is focused on three priorities. First, the activation of the Kano cardiac centre, including securing the cardiac catheterisation laboratory and completing equipment acquisition. Second, the completion and publication of the Lagos State TBA statewide survey, and the expansion of the maternal health programme to additional Nigerian states. Third, the development of sustainable fundraising infrastructure, including The One Heartbeat Classic, AHF's annual invitational charity golf tournament to be held on the eve of World Heart Day, which will fund the Children's Heart Surgery Fund and support pro bono cardiac surgery for children with congenital heart defects.

Looking further ahead, AHF is building towards a national model for community cardiovascular health intelligence, a technology-enabled system that connects community-level detection to facility-level care across Nigeria, and a West African centre of excellence for cardiac surgery, training, and research anchored at our Kano facility.