MTN, UG Champion AI For Local Languages

MTN Ghana, in partnership with the University of Ghana, has organised the 2026 Tɛkyerɛma Pa Hackathon and AI Summit to develop artificial intelligence solutions for Ghanaian languages and improve technology access for persons with disabilities.

This year’s hackathon attracted 131 teams comprising 550 participants, including 85 women and 54 persons with visual, hearing, speech or physical impairments. Five teams advanced to the finals after approximately two months of online training and mentoring.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said the summit demonstrated the importance of collaboration among academia, industry, government and the communities whose needs innovations are intended to serve.

Speaking on the theme “Shaping an Inclusive and Accessible AI Future: Perspectives from Industry, Academia, Government, and Persons with Disabilities,” she said developers must consider who benefits from emerging technologies.

Prof. Amfo noted that many African languages remain inadequately represented in existing AI systems, while persons with speech impairments face additional barriers when digital systems fail to recognise their speech patterns.

She highlighted ongoing work by the university’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab in the Department of Computer Science to develop Ghanaian language resources and datasets for more inclusive speech technologies.

The Senior Manager for Digital Analytics and Monetisation at MTN Ghana, Kwame Manu, said the company’s involvement reflects its ambition to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

“We want to reach a point where we can refer to their innovations just as we refer to these global platforms today,” he said.

He said MTN wants students to remain in school, participate in hackathons and collaborate across institutions, citing participation from the University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other universities.

In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, called for sustained investment in Ghanaian language technologies and responsible AI development.

He said Ghana’s digital transformation agenda seeks to position the country as a creator of technological solutions, intellectual property and economic value, which would require stronger computing infrastructure, skilled local talent, access to quality data and support for research and education.