21-year-old Biana Bubune of UMaT is Ghana’s 2024 Ms Geek

A twenty-one-year-old product of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa in the Western Region was crowned the overall winner of the 2024 Ms. Geek Ghana competition.

She saw off competition from 10 finalists consisting of young Ghanaian women to emerge champions at the grand finale held at the Accra City Hotel on Thursday, August 8, 2024.

Bottozah Biana Bubune, a level 300 student of the UMaT walked home with a brand new laptop, a plaque, a certificate of participation, and a GHC7,500 cheque as prize money in addition to an extra GHC10,000 presented to her by the Minister of Communication and Digitalization – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

Adelaide Mante, a 15-year-old who is in her final year at the Aburi Girls Senior High School in the Eastern Region also took home a brand new laptop, a plaque, a certificate, and a cheque of GHC5,000 as the first runner-up.

Twenty-year-old Level 200 student at the University of Ghana (UG) Legon, Leticia Makafui Ahiamadzi came third and was rewarded with a cheque of GHC4,500, a brand new laptop, a certificate, and a plaque.

The afternoon witnessed an incredible potential and brilliance of the ten finalists who exhibited their creativity innovations, and technological ingenuity coupled with their impressive presentation display. They range from the ages of 13 to 21 having gone through a critical analyzing process of 66 applicants.

Their projects, ranging from environmental sustainability to healthcare digitization and agriculture management have showcased the power of technology in solving crucial societal challenges.

Among the standout projects were Richardson Elorm’s “E-Waste Evolution,” Leticia Makafui Ahiamadzi’s environmental risk management system, and Hannibel Opokuwaa Nyarko’s “MumCare Connect,” a mobile app supporting maternal and child health.

Ms Geek Ghana 2024 – Bottozah Biana Bubune project utilizes IoT-connected seismic sensors and data analytics to monitor illegal mining activities in remote areas.

Her mobile application ensures real-time data transmission and addresses the issue of limited internet connectivity in these regions, providing a robust solution to combat illegal mining and its environmental impact.

As the winner, Ms. Biana Bubune will be fully funded with a trip to participate in the Ms. Geek Africa contest, scheduled for 2025. The opportunity presents her to showcase her project on a continental stage, competing with other brilliant minds from across the continent.

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful was elated with the performance of the young female innovators who competed in the year’s competitions especially the finalists and highlighted the vital role of gender equality in the technological space.

Emphasizing the competition’s significance as a platform for empowering women in technology, she reiterated the government’s commitment to nurturing young women’s contributions to the tech industry to complement the digitalization agenda.

The minister said the sector will ensure that they provide all the needed logistics to the winner and prepare her ahead of the Ms. Geek Africa contest, scheduled for 2025, to ensure that she defends the crown won by reigning Africa champion Sellasie Domi-Kuwonu in 2019.

Speaking to journalists after her crown, Bottozah Biana Bubune in a joyous mood thanked the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization for the opportunity and promise to make Ghana proud at the continental stage when the time is due.

ABOUT MS. GEEK GHANA 2024

The Ms. Geek Ghana Project by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation is an initiative aimed at encouraging and empowering young girls in Ghana to pursue careers in technology. The project provided training, mentorship, and a platform to showcase innovative tech solutions.

A total of 66 applications from across the country were received. Subsequently, 15 best ICT solutions were selected. The applicants enrolled in a residential Master Class from 29 July to 2nd August 2024.

After the master class, the 15 applicants were further shortlisted for the 10 grand finale which occurred today.