Discover how three Ghanaian startups: Vitara, Abena.AI, and Sanasana took the top prize at the 2025 World Summit Awards, cementing Ghana’s status as a global leader in impact-driven tech.
The global tech landscape is witnessing a decisive shift toward “impact innovation,” and Ghana is leading the charge. In a historic feat, three Ghanaian startups; Vitara, Abena.AI, and Sanasana have been named global winners at the 2025 World Summit Awards (WSA).
This victory is not just a win for the individual founders but a powerful signal of the maturity of the Ghanaian tech ecosystem. Out of thousands of nominations from over 182 countries, only 40 winners were selected globally. For Ghana to secure three spots in a single cycle, repeating its stellar performance from 2024, solidifies its reputation as a powerhouse for solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Winners: Solving Local Problems with Global Scalability
The 2025 winners represent a diverse cross-section of Ghana’s innovation pipeline, ranging from climate-smart agriculture to inclusive artificial intelligence and sustainable urban logistics.
Vitara: Revolutionizing Agritech and Climate Resilience
Under the leadership of CEO — JohnCarl Dunyo and COO — Mawuse Christina Gyisun, Vitara (formerly SommaLife) is tackling one of the most pressing issues in global trade: traceability. The platform digitizes farm data, connecting smallholder farmers, particularly women in the shea and agricultural value chains, to international markets.
By integrating climate-smart practices with transparent data, Vitara ensures that rural producers aren’t just surviving but competing fairly. In an era where global markets are tightening regulations on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards, Vitara provides the digital infrastructure necessary for African produce to remain globally competitive.
Abena AI: Breaking the Language Barrier in Tech
While the global AI conversation is often dominated by English-centric models, Abena AI is carving out a niche for linguistic inclusivity. Founded by Nana Kwame Ghartey, Abena AI is Africa’s first hands-free, offline voice assistant tailored for local Ghanaian languages like Twi and Fante.
The brilliance of Abena AI lies in its “offline” capability. In regions where internet connectivity is intermittent or expensive, this tool allows users with limited English proficiency to interact with digital services seamlessly. This is a masterclass in inclusive design, proving that the most sophisticated technology is the one that removes barriers to entry.
Sanasana: Driving Sustainability in Fleet Management
As urban centers grow, so does the carbon footprint of logistics. Sanasana, led by a formidable leadership team including Karen Wanyama — CEO, Muthoni Muriuki — CTO, and Suad A. Rahman — COO, are addressing this through its “Spark” platform.
Sanasana uses data-driven analytics to help businesses optimize fleet operations, significantly reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. By blending business efficiency with environmental stewardship, Sanasana proves that “going green” is not just an ethical choice but a strategic economic one for modern African enterprises.
2024 WSA Winners from Ghana
In 2024, Ghana also secured three global titles out of 40 winners, demonstrating a consistent track record of excellence in digital innovation.
The winning projects included Achieve, an investment app by Petra that simplifies goal-based financial services for the middle class; Chango, a group contribution and crowdfunding platform by IT Consortium designed to enhance community financial support; and Khaya AI, an artificial intelligence platform developed by Ghana NLP focused on preserving African languages through translation and speech recognition.
