Introduction
Today we take a look at some Ghanaian innovators and their inventions. If you’re new here click on the subscribe button so you don’t miss any of our forthcoming videos.
Apostle Kojo Safo Kantanka
We can’t talk about innovation in Ghana without mentioning Apostle Kojo Safo Kantanka. Kantanka Automobile was established in 1994 by Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka and incorporated as a Limited Liability Company in 2004 in Ghana. In 1998, the first Complete Built Unit (CBU) was manufactured using over 75% of local components.
The Ghanaian car company specializes in the manufacturing of on-road and off-road vehicles that meet the challenging and rugged nature of much of the Ghanaian and African terrain. The objective of the company is to manufacture and assemble cars that give value for money to medium and lower-income earners in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa, and beyond. The company has models like the 2020 Kantanka Mensah salon car and the 2021 Kantanka Omama Pickup.
The company researches, designs, and develops cars that institutions, government agencies, and individuals will need by analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, and surveys. In 2015 Kantanka Automobile Company Limited was inaugurated as the first-ever Ghanaian privately owned automotive manufacturing and assembling company. The company has already begun producing electric cars.
Asidu Abudu
Asidu Abudu, also known as Inventor 1 is a Ghanaian inventor based in Takoradi in the Western Region. He started building gadgets at the age of six. He was the best student in craftwork at his school and also emerged the first in the regional competition. He was then sponsored by the government to the US for a short period.
Abudu has developed several mechanical and electronic gadgets. He has developed a Fufu pounding machine, an automatic feeding machine for feeding people who are physically impaired, a voice transmission and door alert systems, maize planter, vehicle tracking system which uses voice activation and many more.
Abudu has also built unique automobiles for different purposes. He has built pickup for transporting goods, vintage cars which carry two passengers and many others. All his vehicles are handmade from local materials.
One of his major hindrances is financial support. He’s seeking assistance from the government and state agencies to come to his aid and help establish a bigger workshop so he could train more people and expand his venture. He also stressed the need for Africans to support each other and patronize locally manufactured products.
Ibrahim Sumaila
Ibrahim Sumaila also known as Ibrahim Spider is a Ghanaian innovator who builds motorbikes and other vehicles with scrap materials. Sumaila attended Don Bosco Technical Institute at Ashaiman where he studied welding. Sumaila is an innovator and entrepreneur committed to beneficial change within his community.
Sumaila has built customized motorbikes and other forms of motorized bicycles and tricycles purposely to ease the movement of people with disabilities. His motorbikes run on oil mixed with gasoline which is easily accessible. Ibrahim Sumaila’s inventions drew attention and soon people approached him to have their customized motorbikes built for them.
Sumaila is ready to pioneer several new life-enhancing devices but his resources are limited. He wants to expand his business, employ and train more people. He’s appealing for support from the government, corporate bodies and individuals to facilitate large-scale production and marketing of his existing inventions and many more to be born.
Nelson Boateng
Nelson Boateng is a Ghanaian innovator who builds affordable houses using plastic waste. It is reported that Ghana generates about 22,000 tons of plastic waste yearly with a great portion of it choking gutters and destroying our environment. And it takes nearly 500 years before they begin to decompose.
The issue of plastic waste is of high concern and I am wondering why it has become very difficult to ban the use of plastics in Ghana. If you know the answer leave it the comment section.
Boateng’s goal is to provide a sustainable solution to help tackle the issue of plastic waste while providing less expensive housing to low-income workers. By so doing, with just one stone, he would be tackling two urgent needs of his society.
He uses 30% plastic and 70 percent sand to serve as a fire retardant in most of his products. He prefers plastic waste from gutters and beaches since they already contain rough soil that strongly binds blocks and iron rods. Boateng is the founder and CEO of Nelplast, and his mission is to create a leading company in plastic packaging and recycling in Ghana. His company won the Green Corporate Star Award At EMY Africa Awards.
We also have Nzambi Matee from Kenya who was honored by the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2020 for providing sustainable low-cost construction materials from recycled plastic waste. Our next video would cover innovators across the African continent which you definitely don’t want to miss. If you haven’t subscribed, click on the subscribe button now, so you don’t miss out on any of our videos.
Kelvin Odartey
Kelvin Odartey is an 18 year old Ghanaian Junior High School student who built a car from scraps. Kelvin doesn’t have any formal training in engineering but at the age of ten he had already started building gadgets using ordinary things like scrap, sign boards and p lastics.
Kelvin started building his car in 2017 which took him almost 4 years to complete after so many false starts. The toughest challenge was acquiring an engine which he couldn’t afford at the time. So he had to engage in other jobs to earn himself some money to buy the engine.
After Kelvin’s innovation went viral, Kantanka Automobile reached out to mentor and help him achieve his dream. The CEO Kwadwo Safo Jnr said, “The boy needs a lot of mentoring and we at Kantanka are willing to teach him.”
Frank Darko
Frank Darko is a Ghanaian innovator who invented the water bike to help people living in riverine areas easily navigate water bodies. His invention comes as his response to children and residents finding it difficult to cross water bodies, especially during rainy seasons. The water bike is made from aluminum, wood, and propellers.
Darko built the water bike also known as the Trifad to make it safer and more reliable to traverse these rivers compared to canoes. Furthermore, canoes responsible for transporting people, especially school children in the area are limited. It took him over a year to come up with a concept and its design.
Darko’s invention could be useful in many other parts of Ghana and beyond, where people experience heavy rainfall or natural hazards like floods. His current model can carry one person but he is working on another one that would carry four people.
In addition, to tackle the issue of sanitation, Darko has also invented a bicycle that sweeps the streets of rubbish and dust. The purpose of Dust Master, as he calls it, is to clean the streets of Accra and other parts of the country. The bicycle collects rubbish and dust as it rides along the streets. It keeps the rider in shape while keeping the streets clean.
He received the national award for his invention from the Ghana Institute of Engineers at the 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards.
Richard Kwarteng
Richard Kwarteng’s timely invention was critical in the fight against the novel coronavirus. The Ghanaian innovator who also owns a shoe manufacturing company invented the Solar-Powered Hand-Washing Device to help curb the spread of coronavirus. His purpose was to aid the frequent and effective washing of hands without having to physically turn the tap or touch soap containers to avoid infections.
Once a hand gets under the tap, the sensor detects it, setting off an alarm that sounds for 25 seconds during which an inbuilt dispenser pours soap on the individual’s hand for thorough rubbing. Immediately after the 25 seconds, the flow of water is triggered through the same tap to wash the hands.
The barrel which constitutes the base of the device, contains 80 liters of water that can wash up to 150 people’s hands before it is refilled. Meanwhile, when the water and liquid soap are exhausted, the sensor detects it and alerts for refilling.
His invention has been certified by The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). The certification was carried out in four days instead of the regular 21 days in response to the alarming spread of the virus. In his case, the government showed readiness to promote, support and encourage local inventors.
Nii Amartei Amarteifio
22-year old Ghanaian inventor and a student at Ashesi University, Nii Amartei Amarteifio, has designed and built an ultralight helicopter from scratch. During his freshman year, Nii began researching rotary-wing aircraft, spending a great deal of his time in engineering workshops. Within a few days, his prototype was built. His zeal and excitement would push him further to build four more prototypes within a few months.
According to him, his previous tests have given him a lot of feedback to help him accomplish his goal. Even though he faces challenges like vibrations caused by its cantilever design, the engine struggling to get the main rotors to the right RPM range to generate enough to lift because of its weight and a few other hurdles, he is still optimistic and would not give up till his inventions are finally completed. He has also launched an engineering summer school program that seeks to give students practical experience in engineering.
Joseph Korley Tetteh
Joseph Korley Tetteh is a Ghanaian innovator who manufactures bicycles and four-wheelers using wood. His first bicycle which was made from metal was built in the year 2007 but due to financial setbacks, he paused and focused on architecture which was his profession. In the year 2020, Tetteh created his first wooden bicycle with the support of close relatives and friends, especially the bishop of his church. In the beginning it was tough but succeeded on his third attempt and came out with the first product within a month.
Now more experienced and improved efficiency, he produces a piece in just seven days. Coming up with the concept and design for the wooden bicycle was relatively easy because of his architectural background. He has different models for all age groups.
Tetteh has also created a four-wheeled wooded pedal bicycle purposely for tourist centers. The pedal car, which is a prototype, is also made of wood. It has a seat for two and a pedal to move it around. He is ready to manufacture more for commercial purposes on request. Tetteh is confident that with the availability of resources and funding from state agencies, investors or privately owned companies, he would expand his business train people and begin mass production.
This brings us to the end of today’s video. If there are other Ghanaian inventors we missed, kindly indicate in the comment section so they get featured in our next video. You can also check our videos on Ghanaian Trendsetters and Ghanaians Shaping the World in the field of Science and Technology on our YouTube channel. If you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs up, subscribe and share. Thank you.
