Sabbathsian Asante Bonsu, a third-year Information Technology student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), is charting an unconventional path in educational innovation through a project that began with a simple question: if we can design it, why can’t we make it here in Ghana?
Thinking about Ghana’s heavy dependence on imported educational materials. He believed local materials and creativity could produce alternatives that were affordable, environmentally friendly, and safer for students. With encouragement from his parents and guidance from a mentor, he began experimenting with local materials, determined to create something practical that would cut costs while promoting local craftsmanship.
The result is a fully functional mathematical set made from locally sourced materials. Designed with smooth edges and biodegradable materials, it offers a safer and more sustainable option for young learners. He explains that most foreign mathematical sets contain sharp components and contribute to injuries.
Sabbathsian emphasised that the project is not just about replacing plastic tools but about proving that local innovation is possible. He says Ghana can design its own structures, tools, and educational materials instead of relying on imports. For him, the mathematical set is only the beginning. Director of Student Affairs, Professor Marian Asantewah Nkansah, described his innovation as both impressive and meaningful. In her words,
“I met Sabbathsian Asante Bonsu a couple of days ago, and as a directorate we are always interested in nurturing the talents of our students, creating a space where endowments are nurtured so that they can become the best that they can be, both in the classroom, that is in curricula and in extracurricular. And so when I heard of his exploits, I was quite intrigued. It’s transforming something that is already known but with innovative ways of doing it, and that is the novelty.
Professor Nkansah continued, “So normally when we talk about scientific innovation, you would ask what is the novelty, what is new? What is new is looking around him and finding the material that is suitable for tools that already exist to help in science education, which is the mathematical set. She pledged the support of the Directorate to Mr Bonsu.
She said that it is an opportunity for all KNUST students who do exploits to tell the rest of the university community of what they have done, and hoped that this visibility will open more doors for Mr Bonsu beyond this university.
His journey started in the Upper East Region, where he attended Mount Sinai for junior high school education before moving to Kumasi when his father was transferred. He continued his studies at New Era International, Bomso M/A, and later Adventist SHS, Bantama. Although mathematics came easily to him, his deeper passion was technology. As he supported his father with school assignments and explored coding and design, he found a natural talent for creativity and problem solving.
After secondary school, he spent considerable time learning 3D modeling and design under the guidance of Michael Afrifa Asante. That mentorship shaped his skills and opened opportunities, including architectural model design and technical fabrication. Even when an initial university application didn’t go through, he refused to stop. He rewrote his exams, excelled with four As and four Bs, and later gained admission to KNUST to study Information Technology. At KNUST, Sabbathsian’s abilities caught the attention of the head of estates, leading him to design and weld over two hundred tent corner structures used in the 59th KNUST Congregation.
His eco-friendly mathematical set addresses both concerns. It reduces environmental harm, supports local artisans, and makes learning tools more accessible to families.
As Sabbathsian continues to refine his design, his work stands as a bold reminder that innovation begins with recognizing simple problems and solving them with what is already around us. His wooden mathematical set is not only a product but a statement of possibility, sustainability, and belief in local potential.