Fifteen innovators from across the country have secured places in the next stage of the MobileMoney FinTech Lab Boot Camp and Hackathon following the successful completion of the zonal competitions in Accra.
The 15 participants, comprising five each from the Northern, Middle and Southern zones, will now enter a National Mentorship Programme to refine their technology-driven solutions and strengthen their business models ahead of the national grand finale on December 3, 2026.

The Accra competition, which concluded the zonal exercise on Friday, brought together 10 innovators who presented solutions addressing challenges in areas such as financial inclusion, small business support, savings, spending and waste management.

Five outstanding teams emerged from the presentations to join their counterparts selected in Tamale and Kumasi, completing the pool of 15 innovators who will compete for national recognition and the ultimate prize.
At the grand finale , scheduled for the UPSA Auditorium, six finalists will showcase their innovations before a panel of judges and compete for cash awards of up to GH¢100,000, digital devices and other support to advance their solutions.

The competition is designed to identify promising technology-based ideas and nurture them into viable businesses capable of addressing practical challenges in society.

Speaking at the Accra event, the Chief Products and Services Officer of MobileMoney Limited, Sylvia Otuo-Acheampong, said the zonal competitions had demonstrated the depth of innovation and entrepreneurial talent across the country.

She said the initiative was created to bring together developers, entrepreneurs and start-ups with key players in the financial technology ecosystem, including banks, fintech companies, the central bank and other partners.

she noted further that , the judges assessed 10 presentations, with five teams distinguishing themselves through solutions to pressing challenges.

One of the notable innovations was a voice-enabled model designed to address language barriers in accessing digital financial services, particularly for people who struggle to read or understand text-based interfaces.
Mrs Otuo-Acheampong said the next phase would focus on providing the participants with the technical and business support needed to move their ideas beyond prototypes.

“Our next step is to help these ideas develop into viable businesses. We want this platform to produce start-ups and solutions that can grow and serve customers,” she said.

She said the participants would be encouraged to test their solutions with potential customers, obtain feedback and improve their products to meet market needs.

Madam Otuo-Acheampong also disclosed that the competition had attracted 1,791 applications, the highest number recorded since the company began organising competitions of that nature.
She said the response demonstrated growing interest in technology and innovation and reinforced the need to sustain and expand the initiative.

“We are bringing innovation from the outside in. We are looking to you, students, developers, entrepreneurs and innovators, to help us identify challenges and develop practical solutions,” she said.

One of the teams that distinguished itself at the Accra competition was Gbe La, to wit , the voice in ewe , which emerged as the top-scoring team.

Its Team Lead, Vordoagu Delali Hannah, said the team’s solution was inspired by the difficulties an individual who does not understand the English language repeatedly encountered when attempting to undertake financial transactions on the momo app..

She said the experience motivated the team to develop an intervention that could make transactions easier and more accessible.

She said the training and mentorship provided during the competition had also helped the team refine its original concept and identify a more appropriate target group.

She expressed optimism about the opportunity to develop the solution into a practical product and urged young people, particularly women in technology, to take advantage of innovation platforms to turn their ideas into solutions.

Each of the five successful teams at the Accra zonal competition received GH¢5,000 in cash prizes and other packages from MobileMoney Limited.

By DANIEL NONOR, Accra