15th SAGE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
The 15th Annual SAGE (STUDENTS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP) competition was held at the University of Ghana Business School in Accra on the 29th of June. Aburi Girls came out as winners with Ghana National College and Apam Senior High becoming second and third respectively.
The competition was organized by a group of SAGE representatives from Ghana. SAGE is a program aiming at nurturing young minds in the world of entrepreneurship and technology. Ghana has been a part of SAGE competitions since 2008 and this year was not an exception.
8 schools participated in this year’s SAGE competition at the national level. The schools present were Aburi Girls, Ghana National College, Apam Senior High, L&A Memorial, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tema Technical Institute, St Louis and Achimota School.
Here are some of the business ideas and projects that were exhibited
Saint Thomas Aquinas came up with a system/ business idea that mixes mortar by itself in the required ratio of sand/cement/laterite with water and other substances to reduce the burden of constructors at construction sites. It also plays an audio that tells you when the process is done and other information about how to work with the system. This was also wrapped with some technology and IoT.
Ghana National College presented on a water purification system that powered by a solar panel and uses a sand filter to filter out particles, pathogens, etc. They included IoT to their setup such that, anyone could control it with their phone. Their system also had a boiling chamber where bacteria is killed, which could also be controlled electronically, (with your phone). Without sunlight, they built their system to work even in the night or in rain by including a battery in the system that is charged by the solar panel during the day and works when there is no sunlight.
Most outstanding of all these, according to the verdict declared by the judges, was the project from Aburi Girls. They dealt with issues regarding agriculture. The girls presented a system where irrigation could be monitored and electronically controlled (on phone) such that the soil doesn’t get overly wet. They introduced a sensor in the soil that triggers a beeping sound when the moisture in the soil is fine. Also, they showcased a hydroponic system, where plants didn’t need soil to grow. Just the water and some nutrients, which they also made, would be fine to grow crops.
L&A Memorial came up with a smoke detector that automatically sends a message to everyone near a danger zone when it senses smoke in the atmosphere and even sends a message to the Ghana Fire Service in case it’s an issue of a fire outbreak. Their business was wrapped around a lot of impressive technology and IoT.
These, among many others were the projects or businesses of the schools that participated in the competition.
In the end, Aburi Girls’ agricultural business and project came first, which gives them a chance to represent Ghana at the SAGE WORLD CUP in Japan which will be held in August 2024.
