The Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) Health Innovation Festival 2026 has climaxed at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra, bringing together over 100 participants from nine countries to tackle the continent’s most pressing healthcare challenges.

The three-day convening, co-hosted by Ashesi University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with support from the Mastercard Foundation, was designed to bridge the gap between the ambitions of emerging health entrepreneurs and access to knowledge, networks, and resources needed to grow their ideas.

Opening the festival, Ashesi University Provost Professor Angela Owusu-Ansah and Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo of KNUST challenged participants to use the platform to transform promising ideas into practical solutions that improve health outcomes across Africa.

The festival culminated in a competitive pitch showcase where seven ventures shared $13,000 in prize money. In the Early-Stage Category, KAARAANGE from AMREF Health Africa in Senegal secured the top prize of $3,000 for its AI-powered “Smart Bin” that sorts and disinfects biomedical waste at source, addressing the risk of occupational infections among healthcare workers. In the Idea-Stage Category, HerbIma from Addis Ababa University (AAU) won the first prize of $2,500 for Iron Plus, a high-bioavailability supplement powder formulated from indigenous Ethiopian Red Teff to combat childhood anaemia.

Participants praised the festival’s practical emphasis on business skills and investor readiness. Sharon Mbai of Moi University noted the importance of thinking about business strategy and revenue generation when developing an idea, while Josue Nguinabe of the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) reflected that the breakout sessions helped participants refine their value propositions and understand the investor mindset. University of Toronto’s Philemon Ondigo highlighted collaboration as key to scaling beyond local markets.

In her closing address, Dr Penina Lam, Head of the AHC Secretariat, challenged participants to embrace three principles: Presence to identify local health challenges, Partnership to leverage collective expertise and resources, and Promise to scale solutions that improve health outcomes across Africa.

AHC is a multi-year partnership working to strengthen primary healthcare systems across Africa through workforce development, education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Partners include the Mastercard Foundation, AMREF Health Africa, AAU, African Leadership University, AIMS, Ashesi University, KNUST, Moi University, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Toronto.

Together, the partners aim to train 30,000 primary healthcare workers, upskill 60,000 existing professionals, support 5,000 ventures, and create 20,000 jobs. The initiative contributes to the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.