FEATURE
Mustapha Diyaol-Haqq: millennial prodigy behind the AI wave that is Okuafo Foundation
M
ustapha Diyaol-Haqq was raised in Old Tafo, in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. He is a Software Developer and a Code Instructor at Ghana Code Club, where he teaches children and adults in Ghana the fundamentals of Computer Science. As a Content Developer for Ghana Code Club, Mustapha worked to produce the Artificial Intelligence curriculum for children, the first of its kind in Africa. Mustapha is on a mission to bridge the gap between minorities and technology. Due to his exceptional and inspirational story, Mustapha was appointed the Youth Ambassador for Africa Code Week 2019 and his NGO, Okuafo Foundation, took home US$600,000 as the winner in the Food Category,– Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020. As an Applied AI Researcher, Mustapha looks to solve some of the African continent’s biggest challenges using Artificial Intelligence. His research is focused on sectors that play important roles in improving the African economy such as Agriculture and Healthcare. Mustapha is the cofounder and Applied AI Researcher of Okuafo Foundation, an NGO in Ghana with the mission of minimizing hunger and poverty in Africa by building tech solutions to help farmers increase yield and prevent losses.
16 | May - June 2020
of smallholder farmers. These farmers in rural communities mostly lack access to reliable information and real-time help with regards to pest control and disease management. However, with our mobile solutions, smallholder farmers can now have easy access to expert-level knowledge with a tap of a button – with or without internet connectivity. Our machine learning platforms enable farmers to detect, at an early stage, pest infestations and take actions to avoid spread and further damage to their crops. This means, farmers will spend little or no money on pesticides and have increased yield, enabling them to support themselves and their families beyond the farming season.
Mustapha Diyaol Haqq - Director of AI, Auricle
Farmers Review Africa managed to get a hold of the young tech-enthusiast and AI Researcher who provided more insight on the Foundation’s innovation the Okuafo AI App, the inspiration behind it, how it works and some of the challenges faced in the development and roll-out of the same. “The Okuafo AI App is inspired by the needs
The Okuafo AI App uses an innovative user interface design. The interface allows you take a photo of a crop, then the app analyses the crop and detects the disease (if any). The predicted disease is shown as a number (Example: 1, 2, 3, 4…). The farmer can then tap on the number and get further insights. The insights are delivered in a local dialect to enable farmers to take actions that are sustainable to prevent losses. Recommendations are in the form of an animated video that explains exactly
