The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Friday, 21 August 2026, hosted its maiden UPSA Innovation Day at the Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium, bringing together student innovators, faculty, industry leaders, companies, regulators and development partners to showcase how research and creativity can be translated into practical solutions for national development.
A major highlight was the Interdisciplinary Research Business Pitch Competition, where pioneering student teams presented solutions to real-world challenges across sectors including health and pharmaceuticals, taxation and revenue, energy and utilities, fintech and payments, employment, education, e-commerce, marketing intelligence and public-health analytics.
The pitching exercise also provided a strong academia–industry engagement platform, with representatives from various companies and organisations joining the session to assess the presentations, engage the student innovators and provide constructive feedback to strengthen the solutions and enhance their potential for real-world adoption.
Addressing the gathering, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, charged students to move beyond developing ideas to building sustainable enterprises. He urged them that the plan is not the achievement, the enterprise is. The students should start small, start where they are, and start now,
He further called on industry partners to become active collaborators in the innovation process, challenging them to adopt one, pilot one and fund one. He noted that such engagement would make industry partners co-creators rather than guests.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced that shortlisted teams will receive structured incubation support through UPSA’s Enterprise and Innovation Centre, with faculty mentors assigned to guide the teams as they develop their solutions beyond the competition.
UPSA Innovation Day 2026 reinforces the University’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary scholarship, strengthening academia–industry partnerships and creating solutions that contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s development.
