Team NPK Innovators from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) has won the Fintech Innovation Challenge at the 3i Africa Summit 2026 after developing an artificial intelligence-driven solution aimed at improving access to credit for smallholder farmers in Ghana.
The team emerged winners in a highly competitive finals stage that featured five teams drawn from tertiary institutions across the country, including the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast.
KNUST dominated the finals with three of its teams qualifying for the final stage of the competition. The university was represented by NPK Innovators, AkuaTrust Labs and HappyPay. ecosystem.
At the end of the competition, NPK Innovators placed first, while AkuaTrust Labs secured third place. FinFlux from the University of Cape Coast finished second.
NPK Innovators developed “AgriTwin AI”, a solution designed to tackle the financial exclusion of smallholder farmers by addressing the lack of reliable agricultural data that often limits access to credit facilities.
The winning team comprised Abetor Prince, Boakye Yiadom Ida Nhyira and Opoku Kelvin Nana Yaw, all students of Business Administration – Business Information Technology.
Another KNUST team, AkuaTrust Labs, placed third with a mobile money escrow solution that secures social commerce transactions and converts them into lender-usable trust signals. Team members were Benedict Nana Asare (Computer Science), Abigail Bimpong (Business Administration) and Elikem Amevor-Agbo (Economics).
HappyPay, the third KNUST finalist team, introduced “HappyFarmer”, a platform focused on improving efficiency and trust in agricultural supply chain payments across Ghana. The team consisted of Bright Alour (Civil Engineering), Daniel Ortis (Computer Science) and Emmanuel Abaidoo (Computer Science).
A team from the University of Cape Coast placed second in the competition, while another finalist team came from the University of Ghana, Legon.
The University of Cape Coast team, FinFlux, presented a solution focused on improving financial literacy and investment participation among young Africans. The University of Ghana’s AgriLedger Group proposed a platform aimed at helping smallholder farmers who lack financial records and access to markets and credit.
The Fintech Innovation Challenge formed part of activities at the 3i Africa Summit 2026, which focuses on innovation, investment and impact within Africa’s digital finance
ecosystem.
