Three students have earned international recognition for Ghana after winning Silver and Bronze medals at the 2025 International Greenwich Olympiad (IGO), held at Queen Mary University of London.

The prestigious competition, which brought together over 520 students from 52 countries and featured 322 groundbreaking projects in science, engineering, and the arts, saw Ghana’s young representatives excel among the brightest minds globally.

Year 7 and 8 students, Arnold Edem Pardie and Ahmet Yousuf Balci of Galaxy International School, claimed the Silver Medal in the Engineering category with their innovative AI-powered Smart Dustbin.

Developed using YOLOv5 machine learning and an Arduino-controlled sorting system, the device can accurately identify and categorise more than 100 types of waste in real time.

The idea was inspired by an in-school survey, which showed that although 80% of students regularly used plastic, only half disposed of it correctly.

After implementing a reward-based recycling system, proper disposal rose to 85%. Judges praised the project for creatively merging sustainability with smart technology to tackle a critical environmental issue.

In the Art category, Year 10 student Mataya Nana Awoa Aseda Opoku earned the Bronze Medal for her poignant piece titled Let Them Live, which powerfully addresses the problem of elephant poaching in Africa.

The students’ achievements at IGO 2025 represent a proud moment for Ghana, highlighting how innovative, values-driven education can empower the nation’s youth to excel and lead confidently on the global stage.