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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 professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
