Academic City University has partnered with Northeastern University, USA, to launch an innovative Bioinnovation Centre as part of efforts aimed at designing and producing affordable biomedical devices tailored to the needs of local and rural healthcare facilities in Ghana.
The initiative marks a significant stride in addressing the country’s long-standing challenges with access to appropriate and cost-effective medical equipment.
With over 5,000 rural clinics across Ghana operating under resource constraints, the collaboration seeks to develop durable, locally serviceable and low-cost solutions to support healthcare delivery.
The Bioinnovation Centre will serve as a hub for student-led innovation, research, and prototype development.
It will also act as a catalyst for local manufacturing of critical medical devices such as oxygen delivery systems, diagnostic tools, and hospital equipment.
The partnership builds on earlier work between Northeastern University’s College of Engineering and local health practitioners and engineers in Ghana.
According to Prof Lee Makowski, Chair of Bioengineering at Northeastern, his team has conducted fieldwork and needs assessments in Accra-based clinics to understand the unique challenges faced by healthcare providers.
These findings are now being used to co-develop technologies that are not only fit-for-purpose but sustainable in the Ghanaian context.
The Bionnovation Centre is also at the heart of the upcoming Medical Innovation Expo 2025, an event that will bring together engineers, healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs from across West Africa.
Scheduled to take place from October 13 -15, 2025, at Academic City, the Expo will feature field visits to rural health clinics, rapid prototyping sessions, plenary talks and a grand prototype showcase.
The aim is to spark collaboration and accelerate the commercialisation of locally inspired medical innovations.
Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Hephzi Tagoe, Head of Biomedical Engineering Department, Academic City, remarked, “Many of the biomedical devices currently used in our hospitals are imported and expensive to maintain. This makes healthcare delivery difficult, especially in under-resourced areas.”
According to her, “Through this centre, we are building the capacity to design and assemble these tools locally, while training the next generation of biomedical innovators.”
The university’s efforts have been further bolstered by a grant from Seeding Labs, which enabled the establishment of a cutting-edge biomedical research lab on campus.
The lab focuses on cancer diagnostics, nanotechnology for disease detection, water purification, and other critical research areas.
This development also aligns with Ghana’s broader agenda to reduce dependence on imported medical equipment. Recently, the Ghana Biomedical Innovation (4GBI) initiative was launched to set the pace for local production and repair of medical devices.
Academic City’s Bioinnovation Centre is expected to complement such national efforts by providing a robust pipeline of research, skills training, and practical engineering solutions.
Students of Academic City are being trained under an interdisciplinary model that combines engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, and entrepreneurship.
According to the university, the goal is not only to produce graduates but to empower innovators who can respond to the continent’s pressing needs with locally made solutions.
Officials say prototypes developed at the Centre will be piloted in selected health facilities, with plans underway to commercialise and scale successful devices.
As Ghana positions itself as a regional hub for health-tech innovation, Academic City’s partnership with Northeastern University represents a strategic investment in homegrown talent and sustainable healthcare solutions for West Africa.
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