Credit: Kekeli K. Blamey
Academic City University College, in partnership with Northeastern University in the United States, has launched a groundbreaking Bioinnovation Center aimed at equipping students in Ghana with the tools and training to design and develop affordable medical devices for local use.
This initiative places young innovators at the heart of solving Ghana’s healthcare challenges, especially in rural areas where over 5,000 clinics face severe shortages of functional, cost-effective medical equipment.
By shifting the focus from imported technologies to locally built solutions, the project empowers students to lead the charge in transforming healthcare delivery.
The Bioinnovation Center will serve as a dynamic space for hands-on learning, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students are being trained to combine engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, and entrepreneurship to design technologies suited to Ghana’s unique healthcare environment.
“Many biomedical devices in our hospitals are imported and difficult to maintain,” said Dr. Hephzi Tagoe, Head of Biomedical Engineering at Academic City. “This center allows us to train students to not only understand the problems but to build practical, sustainable solutions from the ground up.”
Already, the Center is working on prototypes including oxygen delivery systems and diagnostic tools—devices that are not only low-cost but also easy to repair and service locally.
The initiative builds on fieldwork conducted by Northeastern University’s College of Engineering, whose team visited clinics in Accra to understand frontline healthcare challenges. “We’re co-developing solutions with Ghanaian students that meet real, on-the-ground needs,” said Prof. Lee Makowski, Chair of Bioengineering at Northeastern.
The Bioinnovation Center is also the focal point of the upcoming Medical Innovation Expo 2025, scheduled for October 13–15 at Academic City. The Expo will bring together healthcare professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs from across West Africa for field visits, rapid prototyping, expert talks, and a grand showcase of student-built devices.
The project is supported by a grant from Seeding Labs, which helped establish a cutting-edge biomedical research lab on campus. The lab enables students to explore innovations in cancer diagnostics, nanotechnology for disease detection, and water purification — all key to improving public health in Ghana.
This effort also aligns with national strategies, including the Ghana Biomedical Innovation (4GBI) initiative, which aims to expand local production and repair of medical devices. Academic City’s Center complements this by building a pipeline of skilled innovators and practical engineering solutions.
“Our mission is not just to produce graduates,” Dr. Tagoe emphasized, “but to develop changemakers who can respond to Africa’s most urgent needs through innovation.”
As Ghana positions itself as a regional hub for health-tech, the Academic City–Northeastern partnership is a powerful example of how empowering students can drive meaningful, long-term change in healthcare.
