On November 21, in a quiet coastal city better known for its teacher training colleges than for pioneering global science, Ghana held one of the most unexpected technology gatherings on the continent this year: its first comprehensive quantum computing and AI summit. The event, hosted by Palm University College in partnership with Flapmax and IBM, brought researchers, students, policymakers, and industry leaders into a conversation that until recently was considered out of reach for most African institutions.
The one-day summit, organized as part of IBM’s annual Qiskit Fall Fest, marked the country’s most visible step yet into a global race to prepare talent for quantum technologies. It also delivered a message that resonated far beyond the campus halls where the sessions took place: Africa intends to play a role in the future of computing, not merely observe it.
“Hosting Ghana’s most comprehensive quantum computing summit reflects the momentum building at Palm University College and within Ghana’s broader education landscape,” said Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey, Founder and President of Palm University College. “Through strong collaborations with institutions like IBM, Intel, and Flapmax, our students now have direct access to quantum tools that can shape entire industries. This is an investment in Ghana’s scientific future and an opportunity for our young innovators to compete globally.”
The summit arrived during the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, a global call to expand awareness and participation in a fast-moving field. For Ghana, timing met opportunity. The event was the first of its kind in the country and among the most ambitious held on the continent this year. It included instructor-led workshops, student labs, an IBM keynote on advances in quantum-AI workflows, and a global hybrid hackathon focused on agriculture, energy, and healthcare.
While the technical sessions introduced students to quantum circuits, algorithms, and emerging tools that blend quantum and AI methods, the significance of the summit went much deeper. It signaled a growing determination by African institutions to claim space in frontier fields long dominated by research centers in the United States, Europe, and China.
A New Kind of Scientific Gathering
The summit at Palm University felt both historic and aspirational. With its whitewashed buildings, simple lecture halls, and coastal breeze drifting through open windows, the setting stood in contrast to the sleek corporate labs where quantum research typically takes place. Yet the program was unmistakably world-class.
Qiskit Fall Fest, the global quantum education initiative IBM runs each year across select universities, included Ghana in its 2025 cohort. This was no small feat. IBM selected Palm University College and the FAI Institute from more than 600 global applicants, placing Ghana among the top 150 institutions invited into the program.
For students in the hall, the experience offered something rare: access to real quantum programming tools and mentorship from IBM researchers. Participants interacted directly with quantum development frameworks and learned the basics of writing algorithms for machines that do not behave like classical computers.
Through IBM Quantum’s educational materials, learners were introduced to emerging quantum–AI workflows that could shape future industries, from advanced logistics to drug discovery. For many in attendance, it was the first time seeing how quantum principles can be applied to real problems in agriculture, energy systems, and public health.
“Flapmax is deeply invested in expanding access to transformative technologies AI, quantum computing, and high performance scientific tools across the continent,” said Dr. Dave Ojika, Founder and CEO of Flapmax. “Our collaboration with IBM and Palm University College accelerates the development of quantum AI talent capable of advancing frontier research. By providing the platforms, mentorship, and real world tools needed for breakthrough discovery, this summit strengthens Ghana’s role in the global scientific landscape.”
Why Ghana, and Why Now
Palm University College was chosen not only for its growing STEM programs but also for what organizers described as Ghana’s cultural and intellectual legacy. The country has long emphasized education as the backbone of national development, and researchers involved in the summit noted the symbolic connection between West Africa’s historical centers of scholarship and modern scientific research.
The University’s emphasis on hands-on learning and ethical leadership has helped it stand out among younger African institutions seeking to position themselves in advanced technology fields. Organizers pointed to Ghana’s historical role in regional knowledge exchange, citing scholarly traditions from Timbuktu and beyond as part of a lineage that modern institutions are now working to reimagine for a new era.
One of the most compelling examples of Ghana’s emerging potential came before the summit itself. Earlier this year, Palm University students, supported by Flapmax and Intel, used quantum tools to model cocoa disease resilience. The project was experimental and small in scale, but it signaled how quantum simulation could one day help protect one of Ghana’s most important exports. It also sparked interest among local faculty who saw, perhaps for the first time, a direct connection between quantum tools and national economic priorities.
The summit expanded on this momentum by showing how quantum-AI methods could influence fields such as materials discovery for next generation batteries, optimization of national energy grids, predictive diagnostics in healthcare, and climate-resilient agriculture.
A New Generation Steps Forward
The November 21 event also catalyzed new forms of student engagement. Inspired by the summit, students recently launched the Palm University AI and Quantum Computing Club, a peer-led community designed to support training, collaborative research, and greater access to frontier science across Accra and beyond. The club plans to host its own hackathons, reading groups, and industry dialogues.
For many attendees, the summit offered a first encounter with the kind of scientific ambition that often feels unreachable in African universities. Yet the atmosphere on the day underscored a generational shift. Dozens of students stayed after sessions ended to keep working through programming exercises. Others formed small groups, debating algorithm design or discussing how to apply quantum concepts to local problems.
The hybrid hackathon, which began during the summit and continued online, drew submissions focused on agriculture, energy, and healthcare. Winners will gain access to Flapmax’s hybrid Quantum–AI compute platform, known as HQAC. All participants will receive official IBM certificates, a credential that lends legitimacy in a field where formal training programs remain scarce on the continent.
The Limits and the Promise
Ghana’s stride into quantum computing raises broader questions about what it means for African countries to participate in frontier technology research. Quantum hardware remains scarce and expensive worldwide. Most African universities do not have the physical infrastructure for advanced experiments. Yet global companies like IBM are increasingly betting on education-led models for widening access.
The November summit demonstrated what that model can look like when applied in Africa. Even without local hardware, students can access cloud-based tools, run simulations, and build early research skills. What remains uncertain is whether these educational programs can translate into sustained research ecosystems.
Supporters of the initiative argue that inclusion is the first step. Without exposure, even the most talented students cannot participate meaningfully in global scientific conversations. Without participation, Africa risks being left out of a computing paradigm that could reshape industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to finance.
But summits alone cannot solve the deeper structural challenges African universities face, including funding instability, limited faculty capacity, and the absence of long-term national research strategies. The question is whether partnerships like the one between Flapmax, IBM, and Palm University can evolve into broader public investments in frontier science.
A Sign of What Could Come
For Ghana, the significance of the summit goes far beyond the sessions held on November 21. It signaled a wider ambition to embed quantum literacy into the country’s scientific foundations and to position Ghana as a contributor, not an observer, in emerging global research fields.
The event also showed how much the landscape has shifted. A decade ago, the idea of a quantum-AI summit in Ghana would have sounded improbable. Today, it reflects a continental awakening to the idea that scientific breakthroughs need not always originate from the world’s wealthiest nations.
As Dr. Okantey put it, “This is an investment in Ghana’s scientific future and an opportunity for our young innovators to compete globally.”
Whether Ghana can build on this momentum will depend on what follows. But for one day in November, in the lecture halls of a small coastal university, the country stood alongside global institutions shaping the future of computation. And for many who were there, it felt like the beginning of something far larger than a single summit.