DENVER âMercury Advisory Group (mercuryadvisorygroup.com) says it has been awarded a contract to build a 200-hospital in Awka, Nigeria. The first phase will include a fact-finding mission to visit the proposed building site and begin research and interviews to conduct a feasibility study and develop the concept document and a business plan for the project. Mercury CEO, Maria Todd, says that Nigerian and American physician investors and government and tribal officials are working with side by side on plans for a private hospital to be developed in the capital city of the Ananada State. Mercuryâs role is to act as a advisors to the investors and complete the initial feasibility study, site plan concept, and business plan. Mercury Advisory Group will also assist with locating funding for the project. The hospital will be designed with the intention to quickly achieve international quality and safety accreditation and as the first private hospital in Awka. The region is plagued by more than 1000 newly diagnosed cases of HIV per day, and has many public health challenges that can be solved by a new hospital facility allowing patients to access care without traveling long distances. Awka is often seen as the state capital with the worst infrastructure in Nigeria (a country which itself is a notorious example of bad infrastructure) with less than 10% of its roads paved, inadequate storm drainage, poor public water supply, garbage dumped on the sides of roads and a nonexistent sewage system. Three consultants from Mercuryâs team of 65 consultants including Maria Todd, MHA PhD (global health expert) Arney Benson MBA (health financing expert), and Chad Reishl, MURP, LEED-AP (healthcare architect and urban & regional planning expert) will lead the first fact-finding mission to Nigeria in late November 2012. The investors hope that the new hospital will mitigate the need for emergency health travel to other countries by developing more advanced technology and clinically integrated health delivery in Nigeria. The vision includes integrated care delivery, research and medical education will be available in one center. Officials aren’t disclosing the financial terms of the deal