By Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey
Accra, April 13, GNA -Seventy-five participants from across Ghana have joined the Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon 2026 to develop solutions to pressing challenges within the health system.
The participants included university students, healthcare professionals, and innovators, with some joining from neighbouring Togo.
During the two-day hackathon, participants, grouped into 17 teams, were tasked to develop innovative solutions to address challenges in brain and mental health, as well as health service delivery and access.
They were also to work on an open innovation track, which allows for flexible solutions across the broader health system.
The hackathon, organised by the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) Innovation Hub, was held under the theme: “Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence.”
The initiative forms part of a global effort to harness artificial intelligence and digital innovation to improve healthcare delivery and strengthen health systems.
Ms Sylvia Nyarko, Programme Lead at the UGBS Innovation Hub, said hackathon is a rapid innovation platform designed to generate practical solutions within a short period.
“This hackathon is more like a speed date where participants come together to develop innovative solutions to specific health system challenges like data management, medication system and clinical operations within a short time,” she said.
She said the teams would refine their ideas during the Ghana edition, after which selected, participants would advance to the global stage to develop prototypes and build viable ventures.
Ms Nyarko said organisers were engaging key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), and National Health Insurance Authority, to ensure that promising innovations could be integrated into Ghana’s health system.
“We want these ideas to move beyond concepts to become solutions that can be implemented across the health sector in Ghana and beyond,” she added.
Mr Hammond Nii Sarkwah, Deputy Director of Information Communication Technology at the GHS, said the hackathon would help identify young innovators capable of developing digital platforms to address healthcare inequalities.
“We want solutions that will help bridge the geographical gap so that people in remote areas can access healthcare through telemedicine and other digital platforms,” he said.
He urged participants to design solutions that address challenges such as poor connectivity, unreliable power supply, and low digital literacy.
He encouraged teams to develop user-friendly solutions that incorporate audio, video, and local dialects to improve accessibility.
“Solutions should also work offline and integrate with existing systems to ensure effective implementation,” he added.
Professor Rifat Atun, a professor of Global Health Systems, said the hackathon had grown significantly since its inception in 2020, expanding from a single hub with 50 participants to a global initiative involving thousands of innovators.
He disclosed that the 2026 edition would bring together 12,000 innovators from 36 countries across more than 50 global hubs to develop 2,500 AI-enabled health system solutions.
From these, 120 teams would be selected for incubation, followed by further mentorship and venture development, culminating in 20 final ventures presented to global investors.
Prof Atun said previous editions had produced successful ventures that secured funding and scaled operations across multiple countries.
“This is a remarkable global hackathon bringing together innovators across five continents to engineer better health systems for everyone,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah