Twenty-two young innovators spent three days in Benin City building AI tools for African healthcare at the second NG44 Hub Hackathon. The winning entry, Daghe, helps community health workers screen medical images with AI that runs offline.
The hackathon ran from 18 to 20 September 2026 under the theme of AI applications in healthcare for Africa. Twelve individuals and three teams took part. Sixty percent of participants were young women and the average age was 19.
The event was deliberately informal. Participants worked from a home venue in Benin City with laptops balanced on knees and stools, and the relaxed setting encouraged first-time builders to ask questions and share ideas across teams.
Building for real health settings
Participants were challenged to design tools that work where most African health care actually happens: in communities with weak networks and in languages other than English. Mentors from the hub team supported participants throughout, from shaping ideas on the first evening to preparing final demos.
Entries were judged on relevance to African health settings and on whether they worked as a live prototype. Judges also looked closely at offline use and local language support.
The winner: Daghe
First place went to Daghe, an AI medical imaging platform built by a team of three teenagers. Daghe assists community health workers to screen for conditions such as cervical cancer and tuberculosis. It runs its AI models directly on the device and is available in 19 African languages.
What impressed us most was how practical the ideas were. These young people designed for a health worker in a village with no signal, and they built something that works.Hub Lead, NG44 Technology and Innovation Hub
What happens next
The Daghe team has joined the hub's post-hackathon incubation, where they will receive mentoring and technical support to prepare the product for field testing. All participants have been invited to join the NG44 Hub online community to keep building together.
