The event recorded registrations from over 100 attendees representing multiple institutions across Accra, marking a significant step in positioning Ghana as a rising contributor to global quantum and AI research.
Flapmax announced that it had partnered with IBM to accelerate quantum computing education and AI innovation in Ghana. As part of the collaboration, Palm University College hosted Ghana’s first Quantum-AI Summit, aligned with IBM’s Qiskit Fall Fest. The landmark event featured industry keynotes, academic workshops, hands-on quantum computing sessions, and a global virtual hackathon. Participants joined the summit on November 21, 2025, either in person at Palm University College in Accra or virtually via the FAI Institute platform.
Palm University College President Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey said the summit reflected the growing momentum in Ghana’s STEM and research ecosystem. He noted that collaborations with global technology leaders such as IBM, Intel, and Flapmax had given Ghanaian students unprecedented access to emerging quantum tools that could shape future industries. According to him, the initiative represented a major investment in Ghana’s scientific future and empowered young innovators to compete globally.
Supporting the UN’s International Year of Quantum Science & Technology
The Quantum-AI Summit and IBM’s Qiskit Fall Fest were organized under the FAST AI Summit: Quantum Computing Ghana 2025, hosted by the FAI Institute. The initiative supported the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and aligned with the Institute’s mission to democratize modern scientific tools across Africa.
Through the program, IBM Quantum provided students and researchers with hands-on experience in quantum programming, quantum algorithms, and the emerging field of quantum-AI workflows. Ghana’s Palm University College was chosen for its historical ties to scientific scholarship and its emphasis on STEM education, innovation, and ethical leadership.
Flapmax CEO Dr. Dave Ojika said the company had remained committed to expanding access to transformative technologies — including AI, quantum computing, and high-performance scientific tools — across Africa. He noted that the collaboration with IBM and Palm University College strengthened Ghana’s ability to develop quantum-AI talent and advance frontier research.
Ghana’s growing potential in frontier science had already been demonstrated in earlier Flapmax-Intel initiatives, where Palm University College students used quantum computing tools to model cocoa disease resilience, offering early insights into how quantum simulation could support one of Ghana’s most important agricultural exports.
Similar quantum-AI applications were shown to unlock breakthroughs in:
- next-generation battery materials
- national energy grid optimization
- healthcare diagnostics and epidemiology
- climate-resilient agriculture and crop genetics
To maintain momentum, students at Palm University College established the AI & Quantum Computing Club, a peer-driven community promoting collaborative research, mentorship, and broader access to advanced technologies across Accra.
Driving Hands-On Quantum Innovation in Ghana
Palm University College and the FAI Institute were selected from a competitive pool of more than 600 global applicants, placing Ghana among the top 150 institutions featured in IBM’s worldwide program. The FAST AI Summit: Quantum Computing Ghana included technical workshops, student labs, an IBM keynote session, and an afro-techno social experience that blended cultural heritage with scientific innovation.
A hybrid global hackathon ran alongside the summit, featuring challenge tracks in Agriculture, Energy, and Healthcare. Winners earned access to Flapmax’s Hybrid Quantum-AI Compute Platform (HQAC), enabling deeper experimentation with real-world quantum-AI applications. All participants received official IBM participation certificates.
