Ghanaian student builds affordable AI vision aid for blind Africans

Emmanuel Quartey, a second-year Information Technology student at Pentecost University in Ghana, temporarily lost hearing in one ear in February 2024. The experience sparked a question from a friend: "Imagine it was your eyes. What would you do?" That prompted Quartey to steer his computer-vision experiments toward assistive technology. After demonstrating a prototype that recognised Ghanaian currency and read printed text to his friend’s visually impaired companion, Angela Kona, he realised the project could solve real problems. Two years later, that experiment became Steward Vision Assistant – an AI-powered platform comprising smart glasses that read text, identify currency and objects, and describe surroundings, plus a handheld ultrasonic device that vibrates to warn of overhead obstacles. The glasses and companion device were shaped by feedback from the Ghana Blind Union, which found the first prototype too heavy and prompted a lighter, 3D-printed frame. Steward focuses on African realities: it recognises the Ghanaian cedi, is being trained on Ghanaian accents and languages such as Twi and Ga, and aims to stay affordable by avoiding premium components. With the WHO estimating over 200 million Africans needing assistive technology – a figure expected to double by 2050 – and imported solutions like Envision Glasses costing around $1,900, locally built tools like Steward could fill a critical gap. The team is refining AI speed, adding more local languages and targeting 1,500 users in Ghana before expanding to West Africa, starting with Nigeria. If Steward becomes affordable and widely available, how could it change daily independence for blind and visually impaired people in your community?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/08/04/assistive-technology-for-african-users/