A group of smart and passionate students from the University of Ghana has put the country in the global spotlight by winning a top award at the Huawei Global ICT Competition, one of the world’s biggest tech contests.
The trio — Wisdom Nana-Abena Ogbonna, Ryan Nii Akwei Brown, and Jehoaddan Ebrah Andoh — beat tough competition with their AI-powered solution, “Climate Sentinel,” designed to help Ghana tackle illegal mining and deforestation in its forest reserves. They were mentored by their lecturer, Mr. Julius Ludu, and clinched the Green Development Award at the grand finale held in China.
Ryan, one of the team members, explained that a heartbreaking news report about nine out of Ghana’s 44 forest reserves being destroyed by illegal miners pushed them into action. They decided to use technology to fight back.
Their project, Climate Sentinel, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, cloud computing, and big data to monitor Ghana’s forests in real time. The system detects suspicious activities, such as illegal tree cutting or mining, and sends alerts to the appropriate authorities.
Professor Ebenezer Owusu, Head of the Computer Science Department at the University of Ghana, praised the team’s performance and thanked Huawei for providing students with such a powerful platform. He emphasized how important competitions like this are for grooming future tech leaders.
He noted, “It’s not just about coding — it’s about teamwork, innovation, and solving real-world challenges.”
Speaking at the award ceremony, Huawei’s Ritchie Peng said the competition was designed to promote both learning and innovation. He highlighted that the Innovation Track, which focuses on green development and digital inclusion, is helping students apply technology to key areas such as agriculture, education, and healthcare.
Launched in 2015, the Huawei ICT Competition has grown into one of the top global platforms for students and educators to explore tech solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.
