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Little girl, big ideas… Nana Oye, 10, uses coding to promote clean environment
At an early age when many children are still discovering the world around them, 10-year-old Nana Oye Darkoa Duah-Boateng is already exploring how to change it, using coding and animation to turn the problem of plastic waste into a lesson in environmental protection.
The young pupil of Heaven Dew Montessori in Koforidua has created an educational animation using Scratch, a visual coding platform, to teach people about the circular economy and the importance of keeping their surroundings clean.
Trained by M-Hub Technology, a Ghanaian organisation promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through its Girls in STEM initiative, Nana Oye is using her newly acquired skills to encourage people to see waste not as useless rubbish, but as a resource that can be transformed into valuable products.
Her animation features a teacher explaining the circular economy, demonstrating how waste can be separated into different bins and how discarded plastics can be recycled into useful items rather than left to pollute the environment.
Speaking to The Spectator, Nana Oye said the coding training had inspired her to explore how technology could educate people and address environmental challenges.
She said she collaborated with her friends to develop the concept, create the animation and provide voice-overs to communicate their message.
”I came up with the idea together with my friends to do an animation and do voice-overs. In it, we talk about how we can pick plastics that have been littered around to create usable products like flower vases,” she said.
For Nana Oye, keeping the environment clean was essential to human survival, making it everyone’s responsibility to protect it for present and future generations.
She acknowledged the contributions of Nelly Adjeiwaah Tetteh Quaye, Shannelle Owusu, Hamida Adams, Nana Ama Effah, Briana Jenkins Appiah, Charlene Baah and Jael Odehye Adu Gyamfi in developing the concept and animation.
She recently presented the project at the 2026 Ghana Circular Economy Annual Conference, organised by Ho Technical University in collaboration with Canada, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Ghana Circular Economy Centre (GCEC), where she led her group in presenting a similar project they had developed.
Beyond environmental advocacy, Nana Oye dreams of becoming a medical doctor.
She hoped to combine medicine with technology by using coding to educate people about the importance of good quality healthcare.
She also urged parents to empower their daughters with technological skills, saying girls could excel in STEM and develop solutions to challenges facing their communities.
The Programme Manager of M-Hub Technology, Enoch Kekeli, said Nana Oye had benefited from the organisation’s practical coding training.
He explained that its Girls in STEM initiative sought to nurture confident, innovative and economically empowered young women by equipping them with practical skills in coding, artificial intelligence, robotics and other emerging technologies.
The programme has directly reached 20 girls and indirectly impacted hundreds more through a strategy that trains participants to share their knowledge and inspire other girls.
Participants also received training in leadership, public speaking, mentorship, career guidance, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Mr Kekeli said environmental education was an important component of the initiative, adding that the organisation’s participation in the Ghana Circular Economy Conference exposed the girls to environmental challenges and demonstrated how STEM could contribute to sustainable solutions.
For Nana Oye, a discarded plastic bottle need not remain rubbish, and a young girl need not wait until adulthood to make a difference.
With imagination, coding skills and the right training, she is showing how technology can inspire environmental responsibility and empower girls to become creators of change.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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Embrace education but preserve indigenous languages, cultures, traditional values -Prof Komla Tsey
Professor Komla Tsey, Chairman of Agate E.P. Church 125th Anniversary celebration has called on the youth to embrace education while also preserving our indigenous languages, cultures and traditional values.
According to him, embracing education alone is not enough while we undervalue our indigenous cultures and values.
Professor Komla Tsey gave the advice in an address to mark the 125th anniversary celebration of Agate E.P. Church in the Afadjato South District.
He noted that the Whiteman brought education through our churches but most of the social vices we are experiencing these days is because of the neglect of some of our value systems that shape our lives.
He acknowledged the church’s contribution to education, emphasizing that people can appreciate its achievements without necessarily sharing its religious beliefs.
He encouraged the youth to continue to learn from other countries, adapt useful ideas to local needs and develop innovative solutions to challenges in their communities.
He further urged them to embrace modern technology, including artificial intelligence, while listening to the elderly, studying science and value their indigenous languages.
He additionally urged the youth to maximise their education and share their knowledge with other young people in their communities to promote economic transformation.
He commended the church for its achievements in turning out good citizens in their communities.
The Clerk of the General Assembly of the EP Church, Ghana, Rev. Dr. Lawson Dzanku, in a sermon admonished Christians to remain steadfast in their faith and religious activities to win more souls for Christ.
He noted that the church has over the years contributed significantly to education and healthcare as well as established agricultura stations across the country to promote agricultural development. Read More.
From Kafui Gati,Agate
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A Ghanaian film maker, actor, motivational speaker and script writer, Benjamin Kwadey has been adjudged the winner of the Best Actor Award at the 2026 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival (Fall session).
The young actor got the highly coveted award for his compelling performance in the Ghanaian film titled DROWNING which was directed by Daniel Okpe Hooper and William Koko Agbeti.
An elated Benjamin Kwadey who was a resident at the October/November 2025 session of the Ebedi International Writers Residency, Iseyin, Nigeria, broke the news of his achievement during a ‘thank you’ visit to Dr Wale Okediran, Secretary General of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) in Accra on Monday, October 19, 2026.
In addition to Kwadey’s award, DROWNING, a film about depression, also garnered four other prizes: Best Narrative film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and the Best Original Score.
According to Mr Kwadey, his international recognition was not merely a personal achievement; it is another testament to the extraordinary acting talent emerging from Ghana and the growing influence of African storytelling on the global cinematic stage.
The award winning actor thanked Dr Okediran for creating an enabling environment at the Ebedi Writers Residency where young African creatives are given the opportunity to hone their skills.
In his response, Dr Okediran congratulated Mr Kwadey for his remarkable achievement which he described as a great testimony to the enormous talents that abound among African creatives.
Benjamin Kwadey, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree with a focus on Film and Television from the School of Performing Arts, the University of Ghana, Legon, is currently working on his forthcoming film project; THE GOLDEN CHAIN ON GALAMSEY, which he wrote during his stay at the Ebedi International Writers Residency.
Caption: Mr Benjamin Kwadey with Dr Wale Okediran on his visit to PAWA House in Accra
‘We need nation builders, not just preachers’
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The Founder and General Overseer of the No Weapon Prayer Center International (NWPCI), Prophet Dr. Emmanuel Frank Amoah, has urged Ghanaians to embrace active community leadership and moral integrity, declaring that the nation needs “nation-builders in the community, not just preachers on the pulpit.”
He made the call during the ordination of Pastor Emmanuel Yeboah into full pastoral ministry last Sunday at the church’s Weapon City headquarters in the Ashanti Region.
Stressing on the need for believers to show their faith through service, character, and civic responsibility, Prophet Dr. Amoah noted that the newly ordained minister has been anointed not just to win souls for the Kingdom, but to build lives that will transform Ghana.
In a moment of divine alignment and apostolic endorsement, Prophet Dr. Amoah was joined by Apostle Justice Frank Amoah of the Apostolic Faith Mission International and Apostle John Boadu Offe of the True Messiah Baptist Church International.
Together, the clergy laid hands on Pastor Yeboah, invoking the Holy Spirit to impart divine authority, heavenly wisdom, and spiritual fortitude for the sacred task ahead.
Officially commissioned to head the church’s Dumanafo branch, Pastor Yeboah steps into his new role equipped to lead intensive evangelistic crusades, spiritual counseling, and targeted community outreaches.
The Church leadership noted that his deployment forms a central pillar of NWPCI’s broader vision to deepen its spiritual footprint, save souls, and drive holistic community transformation across the region.
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