African Mothers, IIJ, TOPPAN, and Toyota Tsusho Sign Memorandum on Collaboration

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African Mothers Co., Ltd. ("African Mothers"), Internet Initiative Japan Inc. ("IIJ"), TOPPAN Holdings Inc. ("TOPPAN"), and Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") announced today that they signed a memorandum on collaboration to build and deploy a digital platform for the purpose of improving maternal and child healthcare in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire.

1. Background

Although Cote d'Ivoire is an economic powerhouse in West Africa, its maternal and neonatal mortality rates remain high. The reasons for this are the insufficient provision of accurate knowledge regarding pregnancy and childbirth to pregnant and postpartum women through means such as maternal and child health records and the lack of systematic management of information regarding mothers and children in hospitals. Consequently, improving maternal and child health is an urgent matter.
Under these circumstances, it is difficult for midwives to provide appropriate guidance based on past medical information. It is hoped that digitalization and centralized management of healthcare data will provide a solution.

2. This Initiative

Pursuant to the memorandum that was signed today, the four companies seek to develop and introduce a digital maternal and child records app. The app will enable midwives to input and share prenatal checkup records using a smartphone and allow pregnant women themselves to access their records using their own phones. As a result, not only will it be easier for pregnant and postpartum women to understand their own medical information, different midwives will also be able to share medical information, making it possible to provide continuous and appropriate health guidance to women.
In addition to the digital maternal and child records app, a system will be developed to centrally gather and manage healthcare information, such as vaccination history, facilitating the use of healthcare records in medical settings and leading to improved service quality.
Furthermore, a micro data center(*1) will be established locally as infrastructure for ensuring the stable operation of the app and system, creating a framework for the continuous provision of maternal and child healthcare services as a whole.

UI image of the application(*2)

• (*1)A small-sized data center (approximately 1 to 2 meters in height) equipped with necessary equipment and functions such as air-conditioning and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that can be constructed in a short period of time.
• (*2)photos above are screens from the application provided by African Mothers for Tanzania.

3. Future Plans

Going forward, the four companies will establish a health guidance program centered on the digital maternal and child records app and plan and develop related apps and systems. Later, they will introduce and verify the effectiveness of a demonstration version in urban areas while cooperating with the national government and relevant organizations. Over the medium to long term, the service territory will be expanded and utilization of accumulated medical data and collaboration with other healthcare initiatives will be promoted with the aim of providing sustainable maternal and child health services.

4. Roles of Participating Companies

African Mothers	Design, development, and operation of mobile application and collection and analysis of data
IIJ	Provision of micro data center, technical guidance, and operational advice
TOPPAN	Design and development of the system that will be used to gather healthcare data and collection and analysis of operational data
Toyota Tsusho	Overall planning for the project, business model development, and negotiation with government agencies and related organizations

≪Reference≫ Overviews of Participating Companies

[Overview of African Mothers]

Company name	African Mothers Co., Ltd.
Location	1-13-10 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Established	July 2022
Representative	Yasuo Kawabata
Business description	Digital maternal and child healthcare business in Africa

[Overview of IIJ]

Company name	Internet Initiative Japan Inc.
Location	2-10-2 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established	December 1992
Representative	Yasuhiko Taniwaki
Business description	Provision of Internet connectivity services, WAN services, and network-related services; development, operation, and maintenance of network services; and development and sale of communication devices

[Overview of TOPPAN]

Company name	TOPPAN Holdings Inc.
Location	1-3-3 Suido, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Established	January 1900
Representative	Hideharu Maro
Business description	Based on printing technologies, information and communications business, living and industry business, and electronics business

[Overview of Toyota Tsusho]

Company name	Toyota Tsusho Corporation
Location	4-9-8 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
Established	July 1948
Representative	Toshimitsu Imai
Business description	Domestic trading of various goods, import and export trading, offshore trading, construction contracting, agency business for various types of insurance, and other businesses

The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about our future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results.

For inquiries, contact

IIJ Corporate Communications

• +81-3-5205-6310
• +81-3-5205-6377
• press@iij.ad.jp

• (*)All company, product, and service names used in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.