A neonatal health device developed by students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has won top prize at the British Council's ASCEND Lion’s Den investor showcase in Accra.

The Automated Neonatal Exchange Transfusion System (ANET), led by Dr Prince Odame and developed by a KNUST student team, was selected as the standout innovation after pitching to a panel of investors and industry experts at the British Council Auditorium on Monday.

The event brought together more than 20 student-led teams from universities across Ghana and Nigeria, showcasing innovations spanning healthcare, climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, digital platforms and environmental monitoring.

Teams had spent months under the ASCEND programme — the African Student Commercialisation and Enterprise Network Development initiative — receiving mentoring, business development support, customer validation training and pitch preparation before presenting their solutions to investors.

Speaking at the showcase, ASCEND Programme Lead and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy at the University of Lincoln, Dr Aliyu Aliyu, said participants had moved beyond ideas to evidence-based innovation.

“They have moved from ideas to evidence, from concepts to clarity, and from ambition to tangible innovation,” he said.

He added that investors were evaluating both the strength of the ideas and the capacity of the teams behind them.

“Investors are not only listening for the idea — they are also investing in you: your passion, your understanding, and your ability to execute,” he said.

Country Director of the British Council in Ghana, Nii Doodo Dodoo said in remarks delivered on his behalf that young innovators were increasingly becoming creators of opportunity rather than job seekers.

He called for stronger collaboration between government, academia, industry and development partners to ensure innovative ideas can move from universities into viable businesses that support jobs and economic growth.

The ASCEND showcase featured a range of innovations, including AI-enabled agricultural drones, digital housing platforms, smart livestock monitoring systems, blockchain-based food supply chains, paperless administration tools, and IoT systems for environmental monitoring.

Other participating teams came from institutions including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, Bayero University, Accra Technical University, University of Uyo and Afe Babalola University.

The ASCEND programme is delivered under the British Council’s Innovation for African Universities initiative, which aims to support entrepreneurship and innovation across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the United Kingdom by helping university ideas progress towards commercialisation.