In Ghana’s growing EdTech landscape, few innovations have captured the public imagination like the Science Set – a portable laboratory bringing practical science lessons to students across the continent. At the forefront of its expansion is Caleb Fugah, Chief Business Development Officer at Dext Technology Limited and one of Ghana’s 2025 Mandela Washington Fellows. A former SRC President at KNUST and a lifelong advocate for STEM education, Caleb has helped steer Dext’s mission to make science accessible, hands-on and proudly made in Ghana. We spoke with him about the future of STEM learning, African innovation, and what it takes to turn bright ideas into sustainable impact.
1. Background and Early Inspiration
You’ve often spoken about your passion for education and innovation. Could you tell us a bit about where you grew up in Ghana, and how those early experiences shaped your curiosity and drive to make an impact in the EdTech space today?
I grew up in Kumasi, in a small town called Anloga in the Ashanti Region. My father was a carpenter and engineer, and my mother was both a teacher and a trader. I spent much of my childhood helping in my father’s workshop – sanding wood, helping to make furniture, and even selling what we produced. It taught me hard work and creativity at a young age.
My passion for science began early too. When I was around eight years old, someone asked me what I wanted to be, and I proudly answered ‘a pilot’. He paused and asked, ‘How many planes do we have in Ghana?’ It was an innocent remark, but it changed something in me. I lost interest in science for a while because it suddenly felt so far out of reach.
Years later, at KNUST, I became the SRC President and led a team of students to teach in more than 40 rural communities, helping to prepare learners for their exams. That experience reignited my purpose – seeing how eager children were to learn if they had the right tools. So, when I met Charles Ofori Antipem, the founder of Dext, and saw the first prototype of the Science Set, it immediately clicked for me. It was my chance to help children become what I once dreamed of – to make science tangible and inspiring for every Ghanaian child.
2. The Science Set and its Mission
Dext Technology is widely known for the Science Set – a compact toolkit that has changed how students engage with STEM. From your perspective, what makes the Science Set such a powerful learning tool, and what problem were you really trying to solve when developing it?
At the time, there was simply no practical and affordable way for teachers to teach science in Ghana. Most lessons were theoretical because schools either could not afford laboratory materials or did not have access to them. We wanted to solve that problem by creating a tool that was cost-effective, curriculum-aligned, and convenient – something teachers could integrate directly into their lessons.
The Science Set started as a simple physics kit, giving teachers a hands-on way to demonstrate concepts such as electrical circuits and lighting. But as we grew, we expanded it to cover biology and even chemistry too. Each set is small enough to fit in a schoolbag, and is designed to match the national curriculum term by term. That’s what made it powerful – it turned science from theory into something students could actually see and touch.
With NaCCA’s endorsement and thousands of students now using the Science Set, what have been some of the most striking results or stories you’ve witnessed in classrooms across Ghana?
One of the most powerful stories actually came from outside of Ghana. We supplied Science Sets to schools in Liberia and trained around 60 teachers. During one of the sessions, a facilitator told us that, before the civil war, they had many science laboratories. All of them were later destroyed by the rebels. She said that the Science Set had restored her hope that practical science could return to their classrooms once again.
For us, that moment captured a big part of what we’re trying to do – making it possible for schools without laboratories to experience real, hands-on learning again.
You often talk about “freedom of the hand is freedom of the mind.” Could you share a practical example of what that means in action?
Yes – one story that really stands out is of a boy in Grade 6 who struggled to write properly. His parents reached out, so we encouraged him to use the Science Set for a few months. He began building small models – pumps, circuits, simple robots – and over time, his writing and focus improved dramatically. We later learnt that using his hands had activated areas of his brain that improved coordination and learning. That’s what our slogan means – when students use their hands, their minds open up too.
Any exciting updates or big news from Dext that you’d like to share?
Yes, we’re excited that the Government of Ghana has officially approved plans to roll out Science Sets across more than 600 public schools in the next six months. It’s a major step towards closing the gap in access to practical science education at the basic level.
We’ve also partnered with Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann from the University of Ghana, whose foundation helps fund Science Sets for under-resourced schools. These collaborations are helping us reach even more learners – and that’s what keeps us going.
3. Innovation and Local Manufacturing
Dext has often emphasised the importance of “African-made solutions for African challenges.” How does the team balance innovation with local realities – such as cost, infrastructure, and production constraints?
For us, these aren’t really obstacles – they’re opportunities. We’ve built Dext around the belief that innovation can and should happen here in Africa. Today, we have over 70 staff, most of them young Ghanaians trained on the job. Some joined straight from secondary school; others are university interns. Everyone contributes to assembling the Science Sets, maintaining quality, and finding creative ways to make production even more efficient.
We also source most of our materials locally from trusted suppliers we’ve worked with for years. When we need to, we complement that with imported components – but the backbone of what we do is Ghanaian. That local supply chain keeps costs low and helps us keep the price of each set as affordable as a textbook, while sustaining jobs and skills here at home.
What matters most is what it says to the learners themselves. When a student opens a Science Set, and hears that it was designed and built in Ghana, it changes how they see their own potential. Interestingly, the same sets made in Ghana are now being used in over 500 schools in the United Kingdom through a partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering. It shows that locally built solutions can compete on a global stage.
4. Leadership, Growth and Partnerships
As Chief Business Development Officer, you’ve led collaborations across Africa – including those with ministries and universities, like the one in Liberia we discussed earlier. What country are you targeting next for expansion?
We’re open to working with any country that shares our vision of making practical science accessible. Right now, we’re focused on deepening our reach in Ghana – we’ve only covered about five to six per cent of the total school population so far – but our model is ready to scale anywhere.
The truth is, a child in the United States isn’t that different from a child in Ghana in terms of how they learn or develop. The challenge is access, not ability. So, we’re engaging with education ministries and partners across Africa who are ready to take the next step. We have the capacity, the team, and the technology to make it work – it’s simply a matter of readiness and timing.
Has your time as a Mandela Washington Fellow changed anything at Dext – perhaps new ideas, perspectives, or ways of working that have influenced the team?
Absolutely. The fellowship at the University of Notre Dame was a major moment of reflection for us. One of the biggest takeaways was realising that passion alone isn’t enough – for Dext to survive and scale, we have to build a sustainable business model.
For years, we priced the Science Set as low as possible to reach more students, but that meant running at a loss. Through the fellowship, and conversations with mentors and other African entrepreneurs, we realised we needed to price the product in a way that kept the company alive. It’s not about profit; it’s about sustainability so we can continue transforming education long term.
There was also a proud moment when 21 judges from the University of Notre Dame voted the Science Set the best business innovation in education for 2025 – a huge validation that what we’re doing in Ghana has global relevance. It reminded us that African innovation deserves a seat at the world’s table.
Many young Africans are inspired by the idea of entrepreneurship in education. What advice would you give to those hoping to build something that genuinely improves learning outcomes, rather than simply creating another app?
First, your motivation must be personal. The best ideas come from the things that touch your own life – or the lives of the people close to you. That’s what keeps you going when things get hard.
Second, back your passion with research. Do the data work. Understand the need deeply enough that your solution will benefit the majority – not just a select few.
Lastly, be consistent. Building anything meaningful takes sacrifice in the form of time, family, and comfort. But consistency is the most underrated currency of success. Keep showing up, keep learning, and keep building.
5. Off the Record – Quick Fire
A book or idea that has most shaped your thinking?
I’ve always drawn inspiration from Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana – particularly his belief in industrialisation through research, science, and education. His work on nuclear science and the atomic reactor project in 1964 showed how far foresight and courage can take a nation. That philosophy still drives what we do at Dext – that Africa must build and educate for itself.
One common myth about STEM education in Africa you wish people would drop?
That science is difficult. It isn’t – it’s the most practical and exciting subject there is when you have the right tools! The problem has always been access, not ability. Once children can experiment with their own hands, the fear disappears. You can see it in their eyes, the first time they build a circuit or assemble a microscope – it suddenly all makes sense!
If you could describe Africa’s educational future in one word, what would it be?
Now. Africa’s education future isn’t ahead of us – it’s already unfolding. The tools, the talent, the ideas – they’re all here. We just need to act on them.
