Obafemi Awolowo University Launches Africa’s First AI-Powered Smartphone and Smartwatch Line for Healthcare

Published: 25 Sep 2025

Author: Precedence Research

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Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has made history with the official launch of OAK.io, a groundbreaking spin-off company from its ICT-Driven Knowledge Park. The development of OAK.io, the first spin-off company of the ICT-Driven Knowledge Park at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), is a testament to the university's history. The university presented its first commercial product, the X55 Smartphone, at the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Clinical Practice Symposium.

The FitBand X1 Smartwatch, which utilizes artificial intelligence and has been tailored by the university to address the most pressing needs of Africa in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, and education. This highlights OAU's desire to ensure that Africa is not only a consumer of innovation in the world but also one that can develop transformational technologies tailored to local realities.

OAK.io is scheduled for commercial release at the beginning of 2026, but the initial devices showcase a radical vision: to utilise homegrown innovation to address structural issues. The X55 Smartphone and FitBand X1 Smartwatch are equipped with diagnostic healthcare AI, crop monitoring applications used by farmers, and learning applications for learners in underserved regions. They are launching, and this will be a representation of the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and technology at the heart of Africa's development story. OAK.io will also enable people and communities to access digital resources that facilitate well-being, productivity, and sustainable development by filling infrastructure and service gaps.

The potential of OAK.io, as observed by the leaders of OAU during the event, lies in the possibility of initiating a wider movement for innovation in Africa. With an early adoption date of 2026, the university aims to create a ripple effect that inspires other academic institutions and startups. Governments will invest in AI-driven technologies that directly meet the local needs.

This project aligns with Africa's desire to leapfrog conventional development trends and establish itself as a global technological hub. Furthermore, the introduction also serves as an indication to investors and those in development partnerships that Africa is willing to take local solutions to international levels, provided there is sufficient policy, funding, and infrastructure support.