Permia Sensing Wins UAE FoodTech Challenge 2026, Bringing Award-Winning Palm Pest Monitoring to Ghana

ACCRA, Ghana | LONDON, UK | February 2, 2026 — Permia Sensing, a London-based agritech company deploying artificial intelligence, bioacoustic sensing and drone imaging to detect palm pests and tree stress early, has been named a winner of the prestigious UAE FoodTech Challenge 2026, reinforcing Ghana’s growing role in climate-smart agriculture innovation. The announcement aligns with Ghana’s broader push toward sustainable food systems, regularly highlighted on GhanaMedia.net’s agriculture coverage.

The global recognition marks a major milestone for Ghana, where Permia Sensing is already operating through an Innovate UK-supported programme focused on smart monitoring and management of African, red and black palm weevils, in partnership with Ghana’s CSIR–Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI) in Kade and Embrapa of Brazil. GhanaMedia.net has previously reported on similar technology-driven agricultural solutions transforming Ghana.

A hard-won global victory for agritech innovation

The UAE FoodTech Challenge attracted 1,215 submissions from 113 countries, narrowing to 10 finalists for live pitches before selecting four winners announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Winners share a $2 million prize pool and gain entry into the UAE’s national agri-tech ecosystem, including pilot opportunities, access to research facilities, investor introductions, mentorship and market-entry support designed to scale solutions globally, especially across emerging markets like Ghana.

Why the UAE FoodTech win matters for Ghana’s oil palm sector

Coconut and oil palm are cornerstone crops in Ghana, cultivated across more than 450,000 hectares and supporting livelihoods across farming, processing and export value chains. However, African and red and black palm weevils pose increasing threats, causing yield losses of up to 30 percent and significant tree mortality. According to GhanaMedia.net analysis on agricultural challenges, pest control and climate stress remain key obstacles to sector growth.

Permia’s early-detection platform directly targets these risks, enabling precision interventions that reduce losses, minimize blanket pesticide use and support climate-smart agriculture aligned with Ghana’s sustainability goals.

“Ghana has a powerful growth story in coconut and oil palm, but it will only scale sustainably if we get ahead of biotic stress,” said Efrem De Paiva, CEO of Permia Sensing. “Working hand-in-hand with CSIR–OPRI, we’re adapting a platform proven under Innovate UK-backed trials to Ghana’s conditions, enabling earlier detection and targeted response that boosts productivity, reduces blanket pesticide use and supports climate-smart agriculture across West Africa.”

From proven global results to Ghana-based scale-up

Permia’s technology is already deployed at scale in Sri Lanka, covering more than 15,000 hectares of palm plantations and protecting millions of trees through early detection of dehydration, pest infestation and disease. Building on this success, the company is now advancing pilot discussions with corporate farms in Ghana, following positive outcomes from its Innovate UK-funded work spanning both commercial estates and smallholder farming systems.

“This award validates years of hard, field-first engineering, not just a lab concept,” De Paiva added. “Ghana is already a priority market for us. We are on the ground with respected research partners and are now moving from validation to scale, working with corporate farms and stakeholders to protect yields, reduce tree losses and strengthen climate resilience for coconut and oil palm.”

About Permia Sensing

Permia Sensing is a London-based agritech company using AI, bioacoustic sensors, satellite imagery and aerial drone data to monitor palm tree health and detect pests and stress early, enabling targeted interventions that improve yields, reduce food loss and support sustainable agriculture.

About the UAE FoodTech Challenge

Now in its third edition, the UAE FoodTech Challenge identifies and accelerates agri-food technologies that increase food production and reduce food loss in climate-stressed environments. The 2026 competition was organized by the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court and Tamkeen, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, ne’ma and Silal.

Media Contact (Ghana & International): Permia Sensing | Email: info@permiasensing.com | Website: permiasensing.com