Divas in AI has organised a tech innovation showcase and awards ceremony to commemorate International Women’s Day under the theme “Leveraging Technology to Drive Social Impact and Innovation”. The event brought together young women innovators and industry experts to raise mental health awareness and promote the use of technology in addressing social issues.
The programme “Hack for Change” was held on April 12 at the NIIT (National Institute of Information Technology) training centre in Accra.
Representing Blossom Academy, one of the sponsors of the programme, Delphina Duodu, who is the Programmes Lead highlighted the importance of empowering women to develop tech-based solutions for societal challenges.
A highlight of the event was presentations from two distinguished speakers.
Dr. Justina Adwoa Onumah, a senior research scientist at the CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, delivered a talk on “Advancing Innovation and Driving Impact in the Tech Ecosystem”.
She explained that technological advancement should not be measured by comparing local innovations to those of first-world countries. “True advancement lies in the ability of innovators to develop technologies that address societal and national challenges,” she emphasized.
Dr. Justina Adwoa Onumah encouraged women innovators to build on existing ideas to make impactful contributions. “In your quest to innovate, you can build on what others have done. As you build on it and learn through it, you’ll be able to contribute to the universe.”
She further encouraged participants to collaborate to innovate, join mentorship programmes, and apply for grants and fellowship programmes to scale up their innovations.
Yvonne Dumor Boakye-Manu, Administrative Business Partner at Google Research, Accra, also addressed the gathering, speaking on the topic: “The Role of Collaboration (Allyship) in Tech Communities.” She shared her personal journey and practical strategies for lifting others as they climb, stressing the importance of intentional support and inclusion in professional spaces.
Explaining allyship, she said, “Allyship is opening doors for marginalised or under-represented groups that cannot open them for themselves.” She encouraged participants to give everybody an opportunity to share what they have to contribute.
“The second way we could be great allies is to amplify people’s work. If you have somebody on your team whose work you know will do a lot of good for humanity, and you find yourself in that boardroom, talk about the work to others. Evangelise others’ work.”
Fifteen (15) groups of young female innovators showcased mobile applications they had developed to address Mental Health Accessibility and Telehealth.
Each team took turns presenting their app’s functionality, target users, and anticipated impact to support individuals with mental health challenges.
At the end of the competition, five (5) groups were awarded, with the group “ThriveWell” emerging as the overall winners, impressing the judges with their comprehensive and user-friendly app tailored to assist individuals battling mental health challenges.
The team received a cash prize of GHS 2,000 and souvenirs from the organisers — a reward for their hard work, creativity, and empathy-driven innovation.
In an interview with the Co-founder and Team Lead of Divas in AI, Deborah Arthur, she expressed optimism about the future of the initiative, highlighting the strong potential to scale it.
“With the interest and energy demonstrated in this inaugural edition, there is strong potential to scale the initiative, expanding to other regions, forming long-term partnerships, and deepening its impact through post-hackathon support such as mentorship, incubation, and collaboration with health organisations.”
Deborah also shared the vision to broaden the initiative’s focus, incorporating areas such as gender-based violence, digital well-being, and inclusion in tech innovation.
Divas in AI [https://aighana.org/divas-in-ai] is a diverse network that operates under AI Ghana which continues to make meaningful strides in bridging the gender gap in tech and empowering the next generation of female changemakers — reminding us all that with the right platform and mentorship, young women can and will drive impactful innovation across the globe.
Organisers said the event aimed to inspire young women to innovate and find solutions to pressing issues, particularly in the area of Mental Health Accessibility and Telehealth.
