Nii Narku Quaynor, the Ghanaian computer scientist credited with pioneering internet access in West Africa, is calling on Ghana to refocus its technology ambitions toward building a new generation of software and systems developers.
In an interview on The Point of View, Prof. Quaynor urged the country to move beyond fascination with surface-level tech trends and instead invest in the cultivation of deep, technical expertise.
“We should encourage our youth to be doing more hard development,” he said, referring to specialized fields such as programming, systems engineering, and core computer science.
A veteran of internet governance circles and a key figure in connecting Ghana to the global web in the 1990s, Prof. Quaynor remains actively engaged in academia. “I have a class of over 300 students that I still teach — computer science,” he noted.
Despite his long-standing influence on global technology policy, Prof.Quaynor continues to favor direct mentorship. “I am one of the best programmers alive today,” he said, underscoring his belief that high-level technical skills are critical to Ghana’s long-term development.
His message comes amid growing concern that many young Africans are being drawn to the more performative aspects of the tech industry—such as social media influence and startup hype—while falling short in foundational disciplines.
“The future,” Prof. Quaynor stressed, “belongs to those who build it—line by line, system by system.”
