The regional ceremonies, held in Damongo, Wa, and Tamale, celebrated the young learners, who were drawn from upper primary and junior high schools across the northern belt and trained in robotics, programming, coding, and website design for 12 weeks.

Telecel DigiTech Academy, organised in partnership with Asustem Robotics and Mingo Foundation, runs alongside the Ghana Education Service curriculum and combines in-person instruction and virtual learning while providing students with hands-on experience of building prototypes.

This year’s northern belt graduates demonstrated 20 robotics innovations, 27 scratch programming applications, and 26 fully designed websites, drawing praise from educators, community leaders, and regional officials for their ingenuity and relevance to local challenges.

Solomon Yusif, a young learner from Jakpa Junior High School in Damongo said he developed interest in technology when he had access to the internet two years ago and always dreamt of getting trained in robotics.

“I never thought I would have had this opportunity in Ghana because most of the videos I watched online were Asian children building robotics. Telecel Ghana Foundation has given me joy and happiness with this experience, and I feel closer to becoming a robotic specialist in future,” Solomon said.

Robotic prototypes built by the young learners and displayed at the ceremonies included a gas leakage detector, reverse car warning system, fire detection system, smart vacuum cleaner, missile defense radar system, irrigation automation system, smart traffic lights, and grass-cutting robot, all designed and developed by the students from scratch. Other teams also presented applications and websites on different subjects and trades of their choice.

“These young students have shown that they are future ready. I believe that with the right tools and mentorship, young people in every corner of Ghana can create solutions that solve critical problems and make our lives easier,” said Rita Rockson, Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana.

The northern belt ceremonies form part of a nationwide rollout of the DigiTech Academy, which has trained over 1,000 students across ten regions this year alone. Telecel Ghana Foundation said it remains committed to bridging Ghana’s digital divide by equipping the next generation with job-ready skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).