The Obuasi Senior High Technical School from the Ashanti region is the winner of the 2024 STEMNNOVATION competition.
The five-member team presented a project on Environmental Sustainability with a solar-powered homemade dialysis machine, convincing the judges to award them first place. As emerging winners, they received GH¢50,000 in cash, two laptops, assorted books, and GH¢20,000 insurance coverage for each team member.
DABOKPA Technical Institute from the Northern region placed second with a project featuring an electric tricycle and an electric bicycle, along with charging system samples. They were awarded GH¢40,000 in cash, a laptop, and assorted textbooks.
Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High School from the Ashanti region took third place with a prototype water filtering machine, winning GH¢30,000 in cash, a laptop, and assorted books.
The Presbyterian Senior High School at Legon (PRESEC) in Accra placed 4th with a project on a Smart Incubator for hatching chickens, earning GH¢20,000 in cash, a laptop, and assorted books.
Awards were presented to 20 out of 56 contestants, with prizes ranging from GH¢50,000 to GH¢10,000, in addition to books, laptops, and plaques.
The three-day contest provided a platform for students to present projects aimed at solving societal challenges.
Prior to presenting the awards, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister for Education, commended the projects submitted by the contestants as evidence of the ongoing transformation in the nation's education sector.
He praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his vision and support in transforming the education space.
Dr. Adutwum, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, lauded the leadership of the Free Senior High School Secretariat for their hard work in organizing the competition.
He also thanked NEIP and all other partners for their contributions to the event's success.
Dr. Adutwum emphasized the importance of sustaining the changes in the country's education sector by voting for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming December 7th election.
He cautioned against repeating the mistake made in 2008 when the party was voted out of power, leading to the reversal of gains made during former President Kufuor's administration.
Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, Chief Executive of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), pledged to work with investors to commercialize the students' innovations.
He also committed to supporting the organization of the competition to continue discovering innovators among students at second cycle institutions.