Accra, July 13, GNA – The Ghana Science and Technology Explorer Prize (GSTEP) has honoured outstanding young innovators, with Ashanti Region’s Nextgen Coders emerging overall winner at the 2026 national exhibition and awards ceremony.
The five-year-old STEM initiative recognised Junior High School students whose innovations addressed real-life challenges in education, agriculture, health, energy, environmental sustainability and community development.
Nextgen Coders took the overall prize, while Innovepoch from Greater Accra placed first runner-up and The Science Whizzes from the Volta Region secured second runner-up.
Other major award recipients included Pulse Mobility for Best Pitch, Nova Engineers for Most Innovative Idea, and Replastix Team for Excellence in Applied Science.
The event brought together finalists from across the country, who showcased practical STEM-driven solutions, including an automated gari frying machine, a smart autonomous wheelchair, a smart hydroponic farming system, an automated handwashing machine, a solar-powered food dehydrator, a vehicle black box, and a real-time flood monitoring application.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, Deputy Minister of Education, said the projects demonstrated that the students were developing solutions capable of transforming lives and contributing to national development.
“When I look at what is on display in this room today, I do not see school projects. I see the beginning of careers, the beginning of companies, and the beginning of solutions that this country urgently needs,” he said.
Dr Apaak reaffirmed government’s commitment to expanding STEM education through investments in infrastructure, curriculum reforms and teacher development.
Madam Afua Asiamah Adjei, Executive Director of DreamOval Foundation, described GSTEP as a national movement that had nurtured youth-led innovation over the past five years.
“The Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Prize is more than a competition. It is a movement where Junior High School students dream boldly, explore bravely and build confidently,” she said.
She noted that this year’s competition attracted more than 755 applications and expanded into the Volta Region, with 60 teams advancing through the various stages of the contest.
Madam Adjei called on more public and private institutions to support the initiative through funding, mentorship and policy collaboration to help young innovators transform their ideas into practical solutions.
Mrs Olivia Opare, Director of STEM Education at the National STEM Resource Unit of the Ghana Education Service, said GSTEP had complemented national efforts to promote practical, activity-based STEM learning in schools.
“When I walk through these exhibition tables and see inventions built from local materials, I am looking at activity-based learning in its truest form,” she said.
She also praised the growing participation of girls in STEM, describing it as one of the programme’s most significant achievements.
The GSTEP programme is implemented by DreamOval Foundation, Partnership Bureau, Practical Education Network and Shulem Lake in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and AngloGold Ashanti, with funding support from Fondation Botnar.
Since its inception, the programme has provided mentorship, coaching and hands-on STEM training to young learners, equipping them with problem-solving, innovation and entrepreneurial skills while encouraging practical solutions to community challenges.
GNA
George Agboklu