A 21-year-old student of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Biana Bubune Bottozah, has emerged the overall winner of the second Ms Geek
A 21-year-old student of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Biana Bubune Bottozah, has emerged the overall winner of the second Ms Geek Ghana competition, after presenting a mobile app using Internet of Things-connected seismic sensors and data analytics to track and combat illegal mining activities in remote locations.
Adelaide Mante, a 15-year-old student of Aburi Girl’s Senior High School, her closest contender in the competition aimed at empowering young girls through Information and Communication Technology (ICT), presented a project named “Smart Agriculture System”, a technology-driven solution that tackles climate change challenges with the goal of increasing crop yields.
Then, a 20-year student of the University of Ghana, Leticia Makafui Ahiamadzi, took the third place after her work on a web-based data collection system that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and OpenStreetMap to gather and analyze data to tackle environmental hazards, received the nod of the four-member panel for the third position.
Each of them received a laptop, a certificate and a memento. In addition, Ms Bottozah received GH¢10,000, with the first and second runners up receiving GH¢5,000 and GH¢4,500 respectively.
The overall winner will also be mentored and trained to represent Ghana in the Ms Geek Africa contest in 2025, while the others would receive business training from the sponsors.
Background
The Ms Geek Ghana competition, an initiative under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, is aimed at empowering young girls through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The initiative, launched in 2019 under the leadership of the minister, is also geared to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development through ICT, which aligns with the country ‘s membership in the Smart Africa Alliance.
The Ms Geek competition, originally started in Rwanda in 2014 and expanded as Miss Geek Africa in 2017, is an entrepreneurial platform that encourages young girls aged 13 to 21 to propose technological solutions to socio-economic challenges. This year’s Ms Geek Ghana saw 10 finalists out of 66 applicants aged between 12 and 21, present innovative ideas addressing issues from environmental sustainability to healthcare digitisation.
Awareness
The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said the competition was to raise awareness and encourage young girls aged 13 to 21 to propose technological solutions to socio-economic issues. The competition, she said, was not just a contest but a movement that crossed borders, challenged societal norms, and empowered women in technology.
That, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said was part of the country’s commitment to gender empowerment and technological advancement.
Reflecting on the competition’s objectives, she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to gender equality, guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Five. She articulated a vision where initiatives like Ms Geek Ghana would serve as a compass, directing the country towards a future where every girl and woman has a place at the technology table.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful acknowledged the support of sponsors and called for its continuation to extend the competition’s reach to empower more girls across the country.
Investment
The Associate Professor, Chemistry Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who chaired the occasion, Mercy Badu, stated that the full potential of ICT in the country was yet to be realised, and therefore, called for increased investment in digital infrastructure and skills development.
Prof. Badu lauded the competition for its role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among young women, and urged the participants to continue their journey of learning and growth.
Commitment
The Business Development Manager of Satguru Travels and Tour Services, Arun Tarani, encouraged participants to continue to push boundaries as they were the future leaders and innovators in the world of technology.