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Richard Brandt: The ‘techpreneur’ helping young people “rise digitally”
Mr Richard Brandt is the Chief Executive Officer of Codetrain, a software educational company which equips trainees with computer literacy skills, such as coding, to enable them offer solutions through web and mobile applications.
Since 2017, he has combined his teaching experience, software knowledge, and international exposure to positively impact hundreds of students who enroll on various programmes offered by the institution.
From humble beginnings and with limited resources, Richard is still determined to make Codetrain an “agent of enlightenment” to help young people tap the opportunities available in the digital space.
Plan
Although software development was not part of his initial career plan, the ‘techpreneur’ who hails from Osu in the Greater Accra Region said he always wanted to “improve things” hence his focus on projects that would lead to the advancement of society.
“While growing up, I used to accompany my father during polio immunisation in communities and that was when I realised the need to create more opportunities for the less privileged,” he told The Spectator during an interaction to find out more about him and his plans for the youth.
Richard studied General Science at Ghana Lebanon Islamic Secondary School in Accra before proceeding to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he graduated with Bachelor of Science (BSc) Mathematics in 2009.
Passion
With his arithmetic background, he was interested in the financial or insurance sector but that did not materialise. He progressed to achieve positive results from other opportunities that came his way and he has left a mark anywhere he has found himself.
“After completing school, my colleague and I had identified the falling standards in Mathematics results among BECE candidates within my area. Following the approval by school authorities, we decided to offer free Mathematics lessons for the pupils and that year they recorded high marks in the final exams,” he recalled.
The 31-year-old said his passion for Information Communication Techonology (ICT) was brought to the fore when he contributed to the establishment of an ICT department at the Ga East Municipal Assembly, as part of his National Service.
After the service, he joined Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in 2010 where he studied software development and entrepreneurship.
Progress
During the two-year programme, he was part of a team that won the World Youth Summit Award for an innovation meant to address maternal mortality in developing countries.
A year later, he was selected among 100 best innovators worldwide for another eight-month programme called “Start Up Chile”, which trained entrepreneurs to advance their ICT skills and to start their own companies.
“During this period, I realised many people who joined the programme were no different from the young Ghanaians in my country. I realised there were young people in Ghana who could do same but did not have the needed opportunity,” Mr. Brandt noted.
The CEO said there was a high demand for software application developers in Chile therefore, upon his return to Ghana in 2015, he started a consulting company which connected young Ghanaians with software developers abroad.
“I took on interns and trained them. In 2017 I made a difficult decision to stop the consultancy and rather establish an institution to train young people to get better.
“It has been very challenging to start from the scratch without any support. Three years on, we have been able to train about 600 youth including some who had no prior knowledge in ICT,” he said.
Reputation
According to him, though the institution was “doing a great job”, it took time to gain its reputation. A number of local and international students later became ambassadors of the institution.
“We don’t only train application developers but teach trainees critical thinking and all the skills that are required for them to make an impact in whichever organisation they find themselves,” he added.
In 2018, Codetrain enrolled on ‘Enpact Start Up’ mentoring programme which contributed to the restructuring of the institution. Apart from training sessions, the organisation hosts pep talks in secondary and tertiary institutions to whip up the interest of students in the use of modern technology tools.
The Technology enthusiast maintained that young people must be trained to “rise digitally” and become global leaders who transform companies and society as a whole.
Recognition
About two weeks ago, nine of his trainees came up with different applications aimed at dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. Others, he said, had also been absorbed by some local companies to provide tailored solutions.
“We have been able to prove that our concept works and we are hoping to train more young people in the years ahead. The future of Codetrain is to become an agent of development and make the youth ready for the future,” Mr. Brandt said.
Having started from an apartment, he currently has a team of 10 working at the Accra and Kumasi offices of the company and hopes to expand across the country and has called for partnership from public and private entities.
In 2019, Richard was listed among the top 50 Most Influential Young Ghanaians by Avance Media, a Public Relations and Rating firm. He was again adjudged ICT Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 at the YEIS 2019 Awards.
By Ernest Nutsugah
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
