Something happened in Ghana: A story about our technological future.

Five thousand years ago, Ancient Egypt was a powerhouse of technology. Brilliant minds with impressive math knowledge. Monumental architecture that still amazes us today. Incredible medicine. Then, Egypt declined, and much of that knowledge was lost.

Five hundred years ago, Mali, the empire, was thriving. Amazing law, interesting architecture, medicine, and astronomy. Then, much of that was lost.

Broken continuity

A large overview of what Africans have done over the past ten thousand years shows a great spirit of resilience and brilliance. The questions that then arise are how and why we could not follow through, how and why the successes we have had in the past did not unfold into bigger successes, especially in technology. How come all the knowledge from Ancient Egypt did not spread into the whole of Africa? For us today, these questions are important. If we want to thrive, we need to learn from all the things that did not work in the past.

Some answers to these questions point to the geography of Africa, talking about the Sahara desert, but also colonization. Colonization, in particular, turned Africa upside down. It essentially drained from the continent a huge part of its workforce, and that pattern, we can see, continues today, in a brain drain format.

When talking about technology, today, it does not often happen to talk about Africa. It is easy to hear about Africans, but not about the continent itself, Africa. Most of the African contributions happen on other continents, strengthening the dominance of those continents and countries over African’s. It is our duty to reverse this, to create a more balanced world where every part of the world contributes substantially and is respected. That's the main thing I felt that started in Ghana.

What happened in Ghana?

Last month, AIMS Ghana organized the very first quantum computing hackathon in Africa. The hackathon was part of a week of amazing talks and presentations to mark the declaration of the year 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Computing by the United Nations, a declaration in which, we are proud to say, Ghana played a major role.

The event brought together many experts, students, and enthusiasts in the field of Quantum Science and technology. This seemed like just a normal event. It was not. First, it was amazing to see such an event happen on the African continent. Some may say, similar events are happening in particular in the field of AI. Well, that’s true, but there is a difference. AI could be considered today as a matured field, that has proven itself, and Africa woke up to AI when the biggest work has been done already, making possible contributions and ownership of the technology more difficult.

In Quantum Science, this is pretty much the opposite. Progress has been made, but almost everything has to be done to achieve the quantum 2.0 era. Quantum Science has not had its “ChatGPT moment” yet. And this is the perfect time for us to make an impact and claim ownership of it.

Our technological future

Technology rules the world, and who controls the technology controls everything. The Quantathon was a statement about us wanting to be fully part of the technological future of the world. It was an acknowledgement that we have been late on so many technologies, and have been dominated because of that. But the past is past. And now, we need to, and we are investing into the present to be fully part of the future.

Many people with different background participated in the program. From people who have been in the field for many years to people who are just discovering it. One thing we shared was our deep will to see Africa rise technologically.

A call to action

This program ignited in many of us participating the burning flame of action. Many people left with resolutions and things they are planning to do. Many people left with the will to deepen their knowledge in the field and do more amazing things. And more importantly, it left in us the sentiment of community, the sentiment that we can do incredible things if we work together. Knowing that someone in Kenya is much interested as I am in the field, just like is someone from Algeria, or Ghana, or Togo, or Benin, or Nigeria, or South Africa, or Egypt or any other African country, motivates. We all are working hard to contribute and make an impact in this field. Because it is no more about ourselves nor our countries, but about Africa, and the world.

We hope to keep this flame burning and inspire other scientific fields that will come up from this and after this and all other fields that may be lagging behind. This is for our own good and the good of humanity.

For me, quantum computing has the potential to change the African technological landscape. What about you? How do you see it?