The University of Environmental and Sustainable Development (UESD), the youngest public university in the country, has emerged as the overall winner of the 2025 T3kyer3mapa Hackathon.
They triumphed over four top universities, including teams from KNUST, Whisper Way (multi institutional group), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UNER) and the University of Ghana.
The hackathon, themed, T3kyer3mapa was aimed at developing automatic speech recognition (ASR) tools to support individuals with speech impairment.
The event, which was held in Accra last Friday, showcased groundbreaking innovations that aimed at helping people with speech challenges communicate more effectively in the Akan language and other local languages
Data-Driven
The speech data used in the hackathon, which was collected in Akan as part of the project, has successfully captured over 50 hours of data.
The event formed part of a broader initiative supported by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation.
Commitment
Speaking with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring inclusivity.
He described the showcased innovation as restorative technologies designed to close the country’s digital accessibility gap.
He emphasised the government’s digital transformation agenda underpinned by the one million coders initiative and the establishment of zonal ICT centres and inclusive AI frameworks focused on equity, inclusion and accessibility.
“The building of the digital Ghana does not leave the speech impaired, poor, the rural or the disabled behind,” he said.
Policy reforms
The minister highlighted the one million coders initiative and said at least 10 per cent of participants would be persons with disabilities.
He said the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) had introduced digital literacy training tailored for the visually impaired.
The minister said the government was working hard to fix long-standing issues in the telecom sector.
Speaking ahead of a high-level meeting with three CEOs, the minister noted that those who "superintended eight years of mess" were impatient with the pace and reforms.
The minister described the ongoing work as extensive, and that it was targeted at price, value and quality.
He blamed the previous government for implementing a knee-jerk Significant Market Power (SMP) policy that hurt 76 per cent of the market without strengthening other networks.
"You punished customers without giving them a better option," the statement ended
Partnerships
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said inclusive technologies were essential for bridging the gaps in society.
She noted that the innovations reflected the university’s commitment to research that transformed lives and advanced human right.
She applauded the development of AI- powered speech tools which were to support Ghanaian languages.
Prof Appiah Amfo highlighted the importance of partnerships and encouraged stakeholders to continue supporting research that promoted digital inclusion.
“Such collaborations help ensure that all Ghanaians, regardless of your ability or background, can fully participate in society”, she added.
