The Akuapem Technology Secretariat (ATS) has launched the Akuapem Silicon Ridge initiative to position the traditional area as a major technology and innovation hub in Ghana and West Africa.

The initiative seeks to transform the Akuapem Ridge into a technology and innovation corridor capable of nurturing technology entrepreneurs, agri-tech pioneers and digital creators.

Speaking at the launch, Benjamin Ofori, Acting Executive Director of the Akuapem Technology Secretariat, said the initiative was designed to ensure that Akuapem does not merely witness the digital revolution but takes a leading role in it.

“Today is not a ceremony. Today is a declaration,” he said, describing the Silicon Ridge as a deliberate effort to create a technology ecosystem comparable in ambition, though rooted in Akuapem's own history and potential, to California's Silicon Valley.

Mr Ofori said the ATS would serve as the institutional engine for the initiative by developing partnerships, programmes and structures to make the Silicon Ridge a sustainable reality.

A major component of the vision is the Akuapem Technology Summit 2026, scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The summit is expected to train more than 200 young people in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and digital marketing, while providing more than 10 startups with opportunities to pitch to investors.

The programme will also bring policymakers together with at least 40 per cent of participants expected to be women. Mr Ofori called for partnerships from government, the private sector, the Akuapem diaspora and development finance institutions.

The launch attracted traditional leaders, government and regulatory officials, diplomatic representatives, local government and political representatives, educators and students, media practitioners and other stakeholders.

Mr Ofori also urged the media to help amplify the initiative by profiling innovators, highlighting young people and taking Akuapem's technology story beyond Ghana. “The Ridge has always known how to rise. Today, with the launch of the Akuapem Silicon Ridge, we rise again,” he said.

The initiative is being pursued under the vision of the Akuapem Traditional Council and the mandate of the Office of the Okuapehene, Oseadeɛyo Nana Kwasi Akuffo III, with the ATS seeking to leverage technology and innovation as tools for sustainable development in Akuapem.