Edition 2026 · Closed for entries

MTN GHANA Tɛkyerɛma Pa Hackathon 2026

This hackathon challenges teams to design and develop inclusive digital solutions that support communication in Ghanaian languages. All solutions must beaccessible to persons with disabilities.

Host

University of Ghana

Sponsor

MTN Ghana

Timeline

July to October

Grand Finale

October

GHS 100,000

Prize Pool

2,500+

Applicants

5 Teams

Finalists

30

Mentors

The Journey

Timelines

Pre-Hackathon

RegistrationJuly to August
Awareness Campaign & Team OutreachAugust
Online BootcampAugust
Ideation Sprint & Mentor ReviewsSeptember to October

Hackathon Week

In-person MentoringOctober
Grand FinaleOctober

Post-Hackathon

Post-Hackathon Follow-upNovember to December

View the detailed timelines here

Guided by experience

Meet the Mentors

Learn from researchers, engineers, and founders bringing deep expertise to the 2026 mentorship programme.

01

Business, Engineering & Impact

Software engineering, scalability, market viability, startup development, and impact assessment

Mentor

Mr. Benjamin Arhin-Acquaah

Benjamin Arhin-Acquaah is a software engineer with experience building products across startups, fintech, banking, and technology. He holds a degree in Computer Science from KNUST and has worked with organisations including CalBank, Goldman Sachs, and WeWire. He is also a founding engineer at Kook Technologies and currently builds technology products within the financial services industry. Benjamin is passionate about engineering, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, with an interest in building products, understanding the business behind them, and creating solutions that have real-world impact.

02

Computer Vision & Agentic AI

Object and obstacle detection, vision systems, and agentic automation

Mentor

Prof. Justice Kwame Appati

Prof. Justice Kwame Appati is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and an Applied Mathematician whose research spans Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning, Digital Health, Mathematical Modelling, High-Performance Computing, and intelligent decision-support systems. He has led interdisciplinary research, secured competitive grants, supervised postgraduate research, and developed AI-driven solutions for healthcare, education, and digital transformation. His expertise combines rigorous mathematical modelling with practical AI deployment, making him well suited for international research collaborations, consultancy, and capacity-building initiatives.

Mentor

Mr. Labaran Adamu Mohammed

Labaran is software engineer with experience building products across startups, EdTech, fintech, and technology. He holds a degree in Computer Science from KNUST and has worked with organisations including Coursera and Nalo Solutions.

03

Accessibility & Personalization

Inclusive design, assistive technologies, accessibility testing, and personalization

Mentor

Prof. Augustina Naami

Prof. Naami is an expert in disability and social work, with research spanning disability, mental health, intersecting vulnerabilities, social policy, and climate change. She brings both theoretical insight and practical experience from Ghana and the United States. Her leadership in innovative research includes the use of photovoice methodology and the assessment of emerging technologies for their inclusivity for persons with disabilities. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor of Disability in Social Work, the first of its kind in Ghana, a pioneering role that provides her with significant leverage to shape and advance disability research and practice in the country.

Mentor

Mr. Timothy Owusu

Mr. Timothy Owusu is the Founder and CEO of myCompany365, iKolilu, and LangXChange AI Labs. He developed the first online registration system in Ghana in 2003. He is a seasoned full-stack developer and product strategist with more than 15 years of experience in software engineering, data systems, and digital transformation across education, government, and enterprise sectors. With deep expertise in AI, database management, and scalable systems architecture, Timothy leads the vision and execution of innovative technology solutions that drive operational efficiency and measurable impact. He is passionate about leveraging technology to solve complex problems and improve outcomes across Africa.

04

AI & Language Technologies

ASR, TTS, NLP, machine learning, LLMs, and conversational AI

Mentor

Ms. Akosua Nyarkoa Wiafe-Akenten

Akosua is an Artificial Intelligence Engineer with professional experience in Data Analytics and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) consultancy. Her technical and research experience focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence to language technologies, particularly through Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques. Her research has explored areas including Large Language Models (LLMs), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Machine Translation, and Chatbot development. She is particularly interested in leveraging AI-driven technologies to address real-world challenges, especially in inclusive and low-resource contexts.

Mentor

Mr. Evans Kwasi

Evans Kwasi is an AI/ML researcher and software developer with experience in building AI technologies for low-resource African languages. As a researcher at the University of Ghana’s DCS HCI Lab, he has worked on TTS, ASR and LLM projects. He also co-founded Techline Systems, building security systems for homes, school management systems, and business solutions for SMEs. He is interested in building innovative technological solutions that solve real, everyday problems for people and communities.

05

Fintech & Digital Services

MoMo APIs, digital payments, security, and financial inclusion

Mentor

Mr. Joshua Kwabla

Joshua Kwashie Kwabla is a Data Scientist and AI Researcher with professional experience spanning banking, business intelligence, and financial services technology. His technical and research work focuses on machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP), including Automatic Speech Recognition and Large Language Models, applied to healthcare communication in multilingual, low-literacy settings. He brings this combined expertise in financial systems and inclusive AI design to mentor teams in the Fintech & Digital Services category at the MTN Ghana Tekyeremapa Hackathon, guiding solutions around MoMo APIs, digital payments, security, and financial inclusion.

Mentor

Mr. Worthy Elijah

Worthy Elijah is a Information Technology professional with experience spanning telecommunications, consulting, international development, and public sector organizations. He currently works with MTN Ghana, where he leads initiatives in business continuity, crisis management, technology risk, and operational resilience. A Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) , ISO 22301 and 27001 Lead Implementer and ISO 31000 Risk Manager. Worthy has expertise in cybersecurity, digital transformation, governance, and enterprise risk management. He is passionate about mentoring emerging innovators and helping teams build secure, scalable, and impactful digital solutions that address real-world African challenges.

Mentor

Winston Nii Kwartei Quartey

Winston Nii Kwartei Quartey is a dedicated professional with a background in mechanical engineering and material science. He currently leads API and New Business at Mobile Money Fintech Limited, where he drives partnerships and integrations that expand the company's digital payments ecosystem. Over the course of his career, Winston has also built experience in blockchain solutions, applying his understanding of emerging technologies to develop innovative, secure approaches to digital transactions. Previously, Winston held product and growth roles at Farmerline, Talkroom, Omegoat Labs, and Bitsika Social spanning platform management for agritech solutions, user engagement, marketing campaigns, and app expansion across multiple African countries. Winston is passionate about using technology from fintech to blockchain to agriculture to create positive, lasting change.

06

UX/UI

User-centred design, prototyping, interaction design, and usability testing

Mentor

Dr. Sarah Dsane

Sarah Dsane-Nsor is a Computer Science lecturer, Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) researcher, and UX/UI expert with over 10 years of experience in teaching, research, and mentoring. Her work focuses on user-centred and inclusive design, particularly designing digital solutions for underserved and low-resource communities. She has expertise in UX research, user experience design, usability evaluation, and participatory design. Sarah is passionate about mentoring students, early-career researchers, and women in STEM, and supporting the development of inclusive and impactful technology solutions.

Mentor

Mr. Praise Olutuase

Praise Olutuase is a Principal Consultant at Public Digital, part of its Global Impact team, where he helps governments and private-sector organisations across the UK and Africa design services that put people first. He is a user-centred, research-driven practitioner with over ten years of experience across government, academia, industry, and startups. He co-founded Nigeria Votes, a non-partisan civic platform that helps Nigerians register to vote, know who they are voting for, and observe elections at their own polling units. Building it surfaced how much opportunity there is to strengthen user-centred design across Africa's public services. He has also contributed to government-facing design work in the region, including a service-design engagement with the Government of Ghana. Praise believes good design is not a finishing touch — it is the difference between a service that exists and one that works. He brings this conviction to the UX/UI category, guiding teams to translate real user needs into intuitive, accessible interfaces for multilingual and diverse communities.

07

Product, Data & Digital Transformation

Product Management, Digital Transformation, Data Analytics, Customer Experience, Digital Service Development, Product Strategy, Decision Support, Quality Assurance

Mentor

Mr. Worthy Elijah

Worthy Elijah is a Information Technology professional with experience spanning telecommunications, consulting, international development, and public sector organizations. He currently works with MTN Ghana, where he leads initiatives in business continuity, crisis management, technology risk, and operational resilience. A Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) , ISO 22301 and 27001 Lead Implementer and ISO 31000 Risk Manager. Worthy has expertise in cybersecurity, digital transformation, governance, and enterprise risk management. He is passionate about mentoring emerging innovators and helping teams build secure, scalable, and impactful digital solutions that address real-world African challenges.

Mentor

Ms. Tabitha Aidoo

Tabitha Aidoo is a Customer Service Representative at MTN Ghana with nearly five years of experience in customer service across the MTN Ghana Call Center and Retail Centers. She is currently based at the Teshie Branch. Working at the frontline of customer engagement has given Tabitha valuable insight into customer needs, pain points, expectations, and behaviours in the digital space. She is passionate about promoting excellent customer service and bridging the gap between customers and technology providers to support customer-centred product innovation. Her interests include leveraging customer feedback and data to improve digital services and contribute to the development of inclusive, intuitive, and user-friendly solutions that respond to real customer needs.

Mentor

Mrs Muriel M. Nartey

Ms Muriel is a technology and digital product professional with over a decade expertise spanning product management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, data, and digital transformation. She currently works in Digital Enablement at MTN Ghana, where she drives the development of digital products and technology solutions that connect business needs with customer value. With a BSc in Computer Science and an MSc in IoT & Big Data, Muriel brings a strong blend of technical, commercial, and product expertise, with experience across telecommunications, enterprise technology, and digital innovation. As a hackathon mentor, she helps teams transform bold ideas into user-centred, technically viable, and scalable products—from identifying the right problem and validating the solution to defining the MVP, leveraging AI/ML effectively, and building a compelling product story.

Online Bootcamp

Mentorship Schedule

Meet the experts guiding each impact area from 24–29 August 2026. We encourage all to join both sessions on Microsoft Teams.

Monday
24 August 2026
Business, Engineering & Impact
Morning session
Mr. Benjamin Arhin-Acquuah
Join on Teams
Evening session
Mr. Benjamin Arhin-Acquuah
Join on Teams
Tuesday
25 August 2026
Computer Vision & Agentic AI
Morning session
Prof. Justice Kwame Appati
Join on Teams
Evening session
Mr. Labaran Adamu Mohammed
Join on Teams
Wednesday
26 August 2026
Accessibility & Personalization
Morning session
Prof. Augustina Naami
Join on Teams
Evening session
Mr. Timothy Owusu
Join on Teams
Thursday
27 August 2026
Fintech & Digital Services
Morning session
Mr. Joshua Kwabla
Join on Teams
Evening session
Mentor details coming soon
Join on Teams
Friday
28 August 2026
AI & Language Technologies
Morning session
Mr. Evans Kwasi
Join on Teams
Evening session
Ms. Akosua Wiafe-Akenten
Join on Teams
Saturday
29 August 2026
UX/UI
Morning session
Dr. Sarah Dsane
Join on Teams
Evening session
Mr. Praise Olutuase
Join on Teams
Monday
31 August 2026
Fintech & Digital service
Morning session
Mr. Winston Quartey
Join on Teams
Tuesday
1 September 2026
Product & Digital Innovation
Evening session
Mr. Worthy Elijah & Ms Tabitha Aidoo
Join on Teams