Agentic AI for Mental Health in Africa

Voice AI plus constrained Generative AI for screening, triage, clinical reporting, and longitudinal monitoring in low-resource and post-conflict settings.

AYA is building scalable mental health infrastructure for frontline care.

The mental health gap in Africa

  • Undiagnosed crisis: 150+ million Africans are undiagnosed and untreated for depression, anxiety, and PTSD
  • Detection gap: Less than 5% detection rate in primary care settings across Africa
  • Healthcare workforce shortage: Fewer than 1.4 mental health workers per 100,000 people (12x below WHO benchmark of 17 per 100,000)
  • Burden on frontline workers: Community health workers and NGOs lack screening and triage tools in low-resource and post-conflict settings

AI-Powered Digital Mental Health Infrastructure is critical to delivering scalable care in resource-constrained settings. AYA's AI-powered screening can increase detection from 5% to 60% in just 30 seconds.

150M+

Undiagnosed and untreated in Africa

<5%

Current detection rate in primary care

1.4:100K

Mental health workers per capita

60%

Detection rate with AYA screening

Agentic AI for Mental Health Infrastructure

AYA provides a scalable infrastructure layer that empowers frontline workers with AI-driven screening, triage, clinical reporting, and continuous monitoring—designed for low-resource and post-conflict settings.

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Voice AI Screening

Trained on 14,000+ multilingual voice samples. 60% detection rate in 30 seconds.

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Triage Workflows

Agentic AI orchestrates constrained generative workflows to classify severity and risk with 85-90% model accuracy, guiding clinical decision-making.

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Clinical Reporting

Structured, actionable reports for clinicians and supervisors—designed for integration with health systems.

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Longitudinal Monitoring

Continuous follow-up and alerts for risk escalation and outcomes tracking over time.

How It Works

1

Frontline Interaction

Voice-based screening in local context, capturing patient narratives and symptoms in their preferred language. Model trained on multilingual voice samples to understand African languages, accents, and cultural expressions.

2

Agentic AI Orchestration

Constrained Generative AI powers triage logic, clinical reporting, and safety-aligned decision support.

3

Continuous Monitoring

Longitudinal follow-up, outcome tracking, and automated alerts for escalation and supervision.

Designed for low-resource and post-conflict settings

  • Offline-friendly options for areas with limited connectivity
  • Works on basic phones and low-cost devices
  • Built-in supervision and quality assurance hooks
  • Minimal training required for frontline workers

Pilot Deployments in Africa

Early learnings from field deployments validate safety, usability, and scalability in diverse contexts.

Ethiopia

Lenegewa Women's Rehabilitation and Job Training Center

Active

AI-powered screening for women with complex trauma from sex work, homelessness, and severe poverty

Ethiopia

EECMY-DASSC

Active

Mental health screening and triage in post-conflict region

Uganda

Karis Medical Center

Active

Clinical integration and longitudinal monitoring for mental health outcomes

Research and Clinical Validation

Peer-reviewed research demonstrating effectiveness of voice AI for psychiatric severity assessment and trauma-informed rehabilitation.

An AI-enabled, trauma-informed rehabilitation protocol for Ethiopian women with complex trauma

Alemu, Y., Ohiomoba, P., Kahsay, Y., et al.

International Journal of Psychiatry Research • 2026

Key Findings:

  • AI-enabled screening and rehabilitation protocol for trauma survivors
  • Effectiveness in addressing complex trauma from sex work, homelessness, and severe poverty
  • Integration with local mental health infrastructure
View Publication

Objectively quantifying pediatric psychiatric severity using artificial intelligence, voice recognition technology, and universal emotions: Pilot study

Alemu, Y., Teshome, S., Salegh, E., Ohiomoba, P., & Vinson, S.

Annals of Research Protocols • 2023

Key Findings:

  • Voice AI accurately quantifies psychiatric severity in pediatric populations
  • Universal emotional recognition improves diagnostic accuracy
  • Pilot validation across diverse populations
View Publication

Implementing and analyzing the advantages of voice AI measurement-based care to address behavioral health treatment disparities among youth

Alemu, Y., Cardenas Bautista, E., Vinson, S., Ohiomoba, P., et al.

Telehealth and Telemedicine Today • 2024

Key Findings:

  • Voice AI measurement-based care reduces health disparities in youth mental health
  • Implementation evidence for scaling in underserved communities
  • Improved treatment outcomes through objective severity monitoring
View Publication

Objectively quantifying pediatric psychiatric severity using AI and voice recognition technology

Caulley, D., Alemu, Y., Burson, S., et al.

JMIR Research Protocols • 2023

Key Findings:

  • Validated AI and voice recognition methodology for psychiatric assessment
  • High accuracy in identifying clinical severity levels
  • Scalable approach for global mental health screening
View Publication

Meet the Team

Dr. Yared Alemu

Dr. Yared Alemu

CEO and Co-Founder

Patrick Ohiomoba

Patrick Ohiomoba

CTO and Co-Founder

Dr. Delessa Bulcha Neger

Dr. Delessa Bulcha Neger

Strategic Advisor

Dr. Selam Negussie

Dr. Selam Negussie

Psychiatrist and Director of Clinical Services

Octavian Balafel

Octavian Balafel

Lead Software Engineer

Dr. Randa Ibrahim

Dr. Randa Ibrahim

Physician-Coach-Counselor

Dr. Fikrte Teklemariam

Dr. Fikrte Teklemariam

Physician-Coach-Counselor

Dr. Yoeal Asfiaha

Dr. Yoeal Asfiaha

Physician-Coach-Counselor

Dr. Abdi Degelu

Dr. Abdi Degelu

Lead Implementation Director

Dr. Selam Abadi

Dr. Selam Abadi

Physician-Coach-Counselor

Dr. Lidya Tessema

Dr. Lidya Tessema

Team Member

Implementation Partners

Co-designed and deployed with leading regional authorities, NGOs, and academic institutions across Africa.

Oromo Science Technology Authority (OSTA)

Regional Authority

The largest region in Ethiopia, serving a population of 60 million. OSTA drives innovation and technology adoption across the region's healthcare infrastructure.

Key Contribution

Population reach: 60M

EECMY-DASSC

NGO Partner

One of the oldest and largest NGOs in Ethiopia with over 240 active projects covering all of Ethiopia's regions. Provides deep community integration and implementation support.

Key Contribution

240+ projects nationally

AASTU

Academic Institution

Addis Ababa Science and Technology University serves as the lead academic institution for science and technology research and innovation in Ethiopia.

Key Contribution

Research validation hub

Jimma University

Medical Partner

One of the largest and most advanced medical schools in Ethiopia. Provides clinical expertise, validation, and training for mental health professionals.

Key Contribution

Clinical training partner

Bule Hora University

Remote Deployment Partner

Located in a remote region of Ethiopia, serves as the testing ground for implementations in challenging environments with limited connectivity and resources.

Key Contribution

Low-resource testing site

Partner with AYA

We welcome inquiries from health systems, NGOs, research institutions, and frontline organizations interested in pilots, research collaborations, and implementations.