The country is set to host a major continental gathering of young health innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers next month as stakeholders intensify efforts to strengthen Africa’s healthcare systems through technology, entrepreneurship and locally driven solutions.
The Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) has announced that the 2026 edition of its flagship Health Innovation Festival (HIFest) will take place in Accra from June 4 to 6, bringing together more than 100 participants from nine African countries and Canada.
The event, formerly known as AfyaFest, is being co-hosted by Ashesi University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Participants are expected from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Senegal, Zambia and Canada, with organisers saying the gathering will focus heavily on youth-led ventures and practical health innovations aimed at addressing some of the continent’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
The festival comes at a time when African health systems continue to face mounting pressure from rising disease burdens, workforce shortages, climate-related health risks and widening gaps in access to quality healthcare services.
Organisers say HIFest 2026 will serve as a platform for emerging innovators to refine business models, strengthen prototypes and connect with investors, mentors and ecosystem leaders capable of helping scale promising solutions.
The programme is expected to feature innovation labs, masterclasses, investor engagement sessions, coaching clinics and industry visits, alongside cross-border collaboration among young entrepreneurs and health researchers.
Thirty-six young health entrepreneurs, innovators and students selected from partner institutions of the Africa Health Collaborative will participate directly in the venture development component of the festival.
According to AHC, the event forms part of broader efforts to support early-stage health ventures capable of improving community health outcomes while creating employment and enterprise opportunities for young people.
The organisation said the initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation amid growing recognition of the role young innovators can play in shaping the future of healthcare delivery across the continent.
The festival will spotlight several emerging areas within Africa’s healthcare ecosystem, including digital and artificial intelligence-driven health solutions, maternal and child health, mental health, climate and health resilience, water and sanitation, indigenous medicine, and innovative medical devices.
Jessica Boifio, Associate Director at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Ashesi University, said solving Africa’s healthcare challenges would require stronger collaboration across institutions, borders and disciplines.
“Health innovation on the continent cannot be built in silos. It requires young people, researchers, entrepreneurs, institutions and investors working together across borders to solve problems that are deeply local but widely shared,” she said.
She added that hosting the event in Ghana reflects growing confidence in collaborative leadership and ethical innovation as drivers of healthcare transformation across Africa.
For his part, Prof. Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah, Lead for Health Entrepreneurship at KNUST, said health entrepreneurship should be viewed not only as a business opportunity but also as a tool for social transformation.
“True leadership in health innovation begins with compassion, empathy, vision and the courage to transform manifold challenges into opportunities,” he said.
Organisers said the 2026 edition builds on momentum from last year’s festival hosted by Amref Health Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, where more than 50 ventures received mentorship, training and pitching opportunities, with selected teams obtaining seed funding support for their projects.
One of the beneficiaries from the previous edition, Dumisani Newton, Founder of WeCure Pharmacy and winner of the Non-Communicable Diseases category, described the experience as transformative for his business.
“My mentor helped me understand the exact problem that we are solving and who our target market is, so that our approach is more targeted,” he said.
The event will be held physically in Accra, with virtual participation available through YouTube.
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