An artificial intelligence startup founded by two former students of Mfantsipim School has caught the attention of American business magazine Forbes, despite its humble origins in Ghana's capital Accra.
Dr George Boateng and Victor Kumbol have created Kwame AI, an AI-powered web application that gives students in Africa and other parts of the world easy access to science and technology education via smartphones.
The pair were included in the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the social impact category.
They use an artificial intelligence teaching assistant called Kwame, inspired by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, in their web app to get instant answers to science problems and view past standardised exam questions.
Because of our commitment at Kwame AI to improving the lives of millions of young Africans through the use of AI and mobile devices, Victor and I are honoured to be included in the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 303 Europe list, says Dr Boateng, chief executive officer of Kwame AI.
He revealed that the idea for the user-friendly web app was born in 2017, during the group's fourth annual innovation bootcamp.
They discovered that while all 27 trainees had smartphones, only a fifth of them had computers. The five-inch screen required them to redesign their coding module, a first for Ghana.
SuaCode is an online, smartphone-based coding programme that was developed in 2018 after realising the potential of a smartphone-based course. It aims to teach millions of people in Africa how to code, taking advantage of the widespread use and untapped potential of smartphones. We ran four SuaCode pilots between 2018 and 2020, reaching 3,000 students in 69 countries (42 in Africa). Our graduates have secured coding internships and employment at Microsoft and Google, and some are currently enrolled at elite institutions such as Yale, Dartmouth, MIT and Columbia to study computer science or engineering. We then built an AI teaching assistant named Kwame to increase our support for students in the coding course and for science education," he continued.
The nomination follows recent significant international recognition of the company's achievements, including IBM New Creators in 2022 and MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35 list in 2021.
To enable primary and secondary school students in remote areas of Ghana to ask educational questions in regional dialects such as Twi without incurring call charges and receive curriculum-aligned answers, the organisation is currently enhancing the capabilities of Kwame AI.
This will ensure that students, regardless of their limited or non-existent internet connectivity, receive daily, individualised, high-quality educational support across Africa, not just in Ghana.
TRENDING VIDEO: ‘Fred Nuamah Is A Liar And No Longer My Friend’ – John Dumelo Fires
