Akuapem Nifahene Osuodumgya Otutu Ababio V has described the Akuapem Silicon Ridge as a new era of digital leadership and development for the traditional area.

Osuodumgya Otutu Ababio V, who is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Akuapem Technology Secretariat (ATS), said the initiative provides an opportunity to build on the area's longstanding contribution to Ghana's educational and national development.

Speaking at the launch of the Akuapem Silicon Ridge, he said the area had historically demonstrated leadership through its early embrace of formal education and the contribution of its people to the country's development. “Okuapeman has always led. We were the first to embrace formal education when the missionaries arrived on this Ridge.”

He said the ATS Advisory Council was constituted not merely as a ceremonial body but as a group of custodians of the area's heritage and future. The Council, he added, had studied the ATS's vision and examined the framework for the Akuapem Technology Summit 2026.

The Nifahene urged government, the private sector, development partners, the media and the Akuapem diaspora to approach the Silicon Ridge as a long-term development movement rather than a one-off event.

“Do not treat this as an event. Treat it as a movement. A movement rooted in the spirit of Odwira: renewal, reflection, and a return to what is highest and best.”

He also called on stakeholders to invest not only financial resources but their expertise, networks and commitment to ensure the initiative develops into a sustainable technology and innovation ecosystem.

The initiative is being pursued under the vision of the Akuapem Traditional Council and the Office of the Okuapehene, Oseadeɛyo Nana Kwasi Akuffo III, through the ATS, with the broader objective of harnessing technology, innovation and digital enterprise for sustainable development.

“The Akuapem Ridge has always been a place of light. Today, we declare it a place of digital light,” Osuodumgya Otutu Ababio V said, reaffirming the Advisory Council's support for the Silicon Ridge vision.

The launch attracted traditional leaders, government and regulatory officials, diplomatic representatives, local government and political representatives, educators and students, media practitioners and other stakeholders. Institutions represented included the Cyber Security Authority, the National Communications Authority, the U.S. Embassy, Mampong Presec, Aburi Girls SHS, Hark Mount Sinai SHS and the Akuapem Traditional Council.