Omaya Care has won the inaugural Ghana AI Innovation Challenge, held as part of the Ghana AI Summit & Awards 2026 in partnership with the Ghana AI Research Network (GAIN) and Meta.

The team received the top prize of GH¢25,000 for its AI-powered maternal healthcare solution, which is designed to help detect postpartum complications that may otherwise go unnoticed after mothers are discharged from hospital.

The platform uses voice-based artificial intelligence through ordinary phone calls to assess mothers' health, identify potential warning signs in real time and alert healthcare providers when urgent intervention is needed.

The system operates on basic mobile phone networks and WhatsApp, allowing users to access the service without smartphones or mobile data. According to the developers, the platform is intended to support early identification of complications, particularly in underserved communities.

The competition attracted more than 100 entries featuring AI-powered solutions developed using Ghanaian datasets across sectors including healthcare, agriculture, financial inclusion, public service and communication. Twelve teams were shortlisted to present their projects before an expert judging panel, with Omaya Care emerging as the overall winner.

Husker AI and SignLink received Certificates of Commendation for their entries.

The judging panel comprised Professor Isaac Wiafe of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Ghana; Emmanuel Ofori, Director at the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations; Juliet Amoah, Country Director of Emerging Public Leaders; Sulayman Usman, Global Practice Architect at Google Data Cloud; Professor Delali Dake, Associate Professor of Computing and Information Technology at the University of Education, Winneba; and Abraham Odoi, Chief Technology Officer of Npontu Technologies.

Professor Wiafe said the competition demonstrated the growing capacity of Ghanaian developers to build AI solutions tailored to local challenges.

"The Ghana AI Challenge shows that our young developers and innovators are not merely observing the digital revolution; they are actively shaping it with Ghanaian-based solutions designed for Ghana's unique needs and values," he said.

The Ghana AI Summit & Awards 2026 is organised by Knowledge Innovations in collaboration with the Ghana AI Research Network (GAIN) and Meta.