The awards ceremony for the maiden Ghana edition of the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon 2026 has been held at the Headquarters of the Ghana Health Service in Pantang, Accra.
The event, which formed part of the global Harvard HSIL Hackathon initiative under the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, brought together young innovators, students, and health professionals who participated in this year’s challenge, themed: “Building Sustainable Health Solutions, Leveraging AI.”
The awards ceremony was graced by the Director-General, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, and the Head of Legal, Mr. Zanu Dassah Esq., along with participants, facilitators, and invited guests.
This year marked the first time African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, participated in the annual global hackathon, which seeks to promote innovation and technology-driven solutions to strengthen healthcare systems.
Participants in the Ghana edition included staff and students from the School of Nursing and Midwifery of the Wisconsin International University College, as well as staff and students from the Pantang Nurses and Midwifery Training College, under the auspices of Purplepoint Neurodiagnostics, Ghana.
At the end of the competition, Team Nova HQ emerged as the winners of the hackathon, taking home the first prize of GHS 5,000. Ante Nurse secured the second position with a prize of GHS 3,000, while Reided placed third and received GHS 1,500: an award sponsored by the Service.
Presenting the awards, Dr. Akoriyea commended the participants for their creativity, determination, and commitment to developing practical solutions to healthcare challenges through innovation and artificial intelligence.
He encouraged the young innovators to remain focused and continue pursuing ideas that could positively impact healthcare delivery in Ghana.
The Director-General further announced that the winning teams would be linked to relevant technical units within the Ghana Health Service, including the Health Promotion Division (HPD), the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Programme, the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PPMED), and DHIMS2 teams to support and augment their innovations.
The ceremony highlighted the growing interest among young people in using technology and AI to develop sustainable health solutions and strengthen health systems across the continent.