More than 150 in-person participants and over 300 virtual attendees gather at the Africa AI Health Forum 2025 to explore the opportunities and limitations of using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in African healthcare systems.

The one-day hybrid forum, held in Kumasi and jointly organized by the Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group, KCCR-KNUST, and the Global Health Network, focused on the theme “Harnessing Generative AI for Healthcare Innovations: Lessons, Challenges, and Future Directions.”

Participants, including clinicians, health administrators, AI engineers, researchers, and students, engaged in live demonstrations, panel discussions, and technical sessions. The agenda focused on practical AI tools tailored to local needs and addressed regulatory and implementation barriers in African public health settings.

“Telehealth is the future of healthcare, and the way forward is AI-enabled,” said Dr. Wisdom Atiwoto, Director of Research, Statistics, and Information Management at Ghana’s Ministry of Health. “But real transformation will require bold policy, strong partnerships, and systems that put people first. Ghana is ready to lead that change.”

Dr. Atiwoto’s presentation outlined how Ghana’s digital health policies have progressed, from early eHealth strategies to the Ministry’s current focus on AI. He highlighted the Ghana Telemedicine Project as one example where AI-assisted consultation models are helping to reduce unnecessary referrals and cut costs.

Local Innovation Spotlight: CARE-GDM

CARE-GDM, a mobile-based digital health application, was one of the new innovations featured at the forum. Built on the WhatsApp platform, the tool includes a clinician-facing dashboard and a patient chatbot. The tool illustrates the potential of AI to enhance the continuum of care by supporting gestational diabetes management between facility visits.

CARE-GDM supports remote monitoring, health education, and decision-making tailored to each patient. Though still in its early development phase, it shows how AI is being adapted to Ghana’s health system and common communication platforms. 

“We need to move beyond pilots and proof-of-concept,” said Dr. John Amuasi, Lead for the Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group, GHID-KCCR.

“Africa is ready to own, adapt, and scale AI for health, but it must be on our terms, informed by local realities. That means investing in talent, building infrastructure, and anchoring AI in ethical, evidence-based systems.”

AI in Context

A panel discussion featuring Dr. Martin Balaba, Sesinam Dagadu, and Dr. Prince Adjei,  moderated by Dr. Neta Parsram, addressed key questions on the role of AI in Ghana’s health system and across Africa, where AI could add the most value alongside its potential to complement, enhance, and reshape, rather than replace, clinical roles. The panel also addressed risks such as data bias, stressing the need for African-generated data and locally relevant governance to ensure AI systems work equitably across contexts. Additionally, the forum also hosted a Prompt Engineering Challenge, allowing participants to experiment with large language models in health-specific scenarios.

Rather than promoting AI as a disruptive solution, the forum emphasized measured integration, linking AI tools to existing public health priorities. The event was supported by the Ghana Ministry of Health, The Global Health Network, Science for Africa Foundation, IDRC, and the FCDO.