Three young Ghanaian innovators to feature on CNN International

Three young Ghanaian innovators, who are using science and technology to break new ground and inspire the next generation of innovators in the country, will feature in the latest edition of Inside Africa on CNN International.

A statement issued in Accra said the three, Charles Ofori Antipem, Priscilla Mante and Ben Nortey, were exploring and applying innovation in different fields of science to help humanity. Charles Ofori Antipem, the founder of Dext Technology, is translating his childhood dream for science to help thousands of kids in Ghana and across the world learn science with a kit the same size and price as a textbook.

The Dext’s science sets enable school children to carry out basic experiments from simple circuits to solar panels.

“The idea behind the science set is actually really simple,” Antipem was quoted by the statement as saying. “What if you could create a science lab that was as small as the textbook and affordable enough such that every student could have their own?

Antipem said getting young students to be empowered was a significant development as “they are able to see problems in society and they're empowered enough to use the knowledge they have to solve those problems. That is education coming full circle,” he said.

The second innovator Priscilla Mante is an award-winning Ghanaian neuroscientist, who has devoted her career to finding a cure for epilepsy, which affects around 65 million people worldwide.

In Ghana, however, only 15 per cent of people in the country receive treatment, with many relying on herbal remedies instead.

“My interest in epilepsy research specifically came from my activity as a pharmacist and coming into contact with patients that have to live with epilepsy,” Mante said.

“The goal for my entire research career is to find a cure for epilepsy. I know it sounds like a dream to most people, it may sound unrealistic, but I feel it is possible because there are a lot of substances in nature, which we haven't explored yet,” she said in the statement.

Outside of research in the garden and the laboratory, Mante is looking to forge a pathway for more Ghanaian women to become involved in the field.

“As a woman in science, you may have few challenges because one, as a woman in society, your role for you has more or less been predefined, so you're supposed to be the mother, you're supposed to be the caretaker of the home, you're supposed to be the wife… There's always the question about how you are going to juggle your traditional roles in the path that you have chosen.”

The third Ben Nortey is an innovator looking to bring robotics into the mainstream across Africa.

Nicknamed ‘The Botmaster;, Nortey has repurposed scrap metal into robotics which he hopes could eventually be a positive cultural change.

Two years ago, he founded the RoboCentre which runs robotics, coding and AI workshops to over 1000 children in Accra and Tema.

Alongside running a successful robotics and STEM education programme, Nortey is determined to expand the use of the technology into fields such as customer service and healthcare.

“One key area we are looking at is autism. So, people with an autistic condition can actually have robots that can assist them with self-help skills and to be able to develop some skills that are quite essential,” the statement quoted him as saying.