Ghana’s Ministry of Health has held its first-ever Midwives’ Innovation Hackathon Exhibition, highlighting practical, frontline-driven solutions designed to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes across the country.
The maiden event brought together midwives from various health facilities to showcase innovations rooted in everyday challenges faced in delivery rooms, antenatal clinics and community health settings. Organizers said the initiative positions midwives not only as caregivers but also as innovators, leaders and change agents within the health system.
Speaking at the exhibition, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Desmond Boateng, said the hackathon aligns with the ministry’s broader commitment to strengthening maternal and newborn care and advancing Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage agenda. He emphasized that midwives play a critical role in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and assured participants of continued institutional support for innovation-driven initiatives.
“The ministry will continue to back ideas that improve efficiency, strengthen decision-making and ensure safe, quality care for mothers and newborns,” Boateng said.
President of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association, Netta Ackon-Forson, said the exhibition demonstrated that innovation does not always require advanced technology. Instead, she noted, many impactful solutions emerge from practical problem-solving based on real-life frontline experiences.
“For many women, midwives are not just part of the health system, they are the entire system,” Ackon-Forson said, adding that midwives often deliver lifesaving care under challenging conditions with limited resources.
The Head of the Midwifery Unit at the Ministry of Health, Estel Ruth Opoku, announced that winning teams will receive cash prizes, mentorship and opportunities to scale their ideas nationally. She revealed that partners including Google, Microsoft and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have committed to supporting the development of prototypes, digital tools and community-based innovations emerging from the hackathon.
Projects on display were assessed by a selected jury and focused on improving service delivery, patient safety and data use in maternal and newborn care. Officials said the exhibition marks a step toward institutionalizing innovation within midwifery practice in Ghana.