A final-year Computer Engineering student of Academic City University has developed a locally built drone designed to detect Fall Armyworm infestations in maize farms and target affected plants with precision.
The innovation by Mohammed, developed as his final-year project, seeks to address one of the major challenges facing maize farmers in Ghana and across Africa: the difficulty of detecting and controlling Fall Armyworm quickly and affordably.
The pest, which spread across Africa from 2016, has become a major threat to maize production. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported that Fall Armyworm can cause substantial yield losses and billions of dollars in annual economic damage across the continent.
In Ghana, a survey covering Ghana and Zambia found predicted maize losses averaging about 45% in Ghana as a result of Fall Armyworm infestation.
For smallholder farmers, who often rely on manual inspection of their farms, detecting an infestation early can be difficult and labour-intensive.
Mohammed’s project seeks to bring technology into that process.
“Most drones you buy today are closed systems,” Mohammed said. “You cannot change how they work and you cannot fix them yourself. We wanted to build a drone where we control everything, using parts we can easily find and fix right here in Ghana.”
Local solution to a local problem
Rather than relying on an expensive imported commercial drone, Mohammed built his prototype using open-source flight technology, locally sourced electronic components, 3D-printed parts and adaptable software.
The approach is intended to make the system easier to repair, modify and maintain locally, reducing dependence on imported technology.
The drone combines three main systems: its physical airframe and propulsion components, a flight-control system that stabilises it during flight, and a computer-vision system designed to identify infected maize plants.
Once an affected plant is detected, the system is designed to enable targeted treatment rather than blanket spraying of an entire farm.
The precision approach could help farmers reduce pesticide use and associated costs while limiting unnecessary treatment of healthy crops.
Tested under real farming conditions
The prototype was tested at Agro King Farms in Ghana, giving Mohammed and his team an opportunity to assess its performance outside the classroom and laboratory.
The field testing is part of Academic City’s emphasis on applying student innovations to practical industry challenges.
Mohammed now hopes to develop a larger version of the drone capable of carrying greater payloads and operating across larger farms.
The project, however, remains a prototype and would require further development and testing before it could be deployed commercially at scale.
Academic City expands drone engineering training
The project comes as Academic City expands its training in unmanned aerial technology.
In May 2026, the university launched a Bachelor of Science programme in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Engineering, which it says is the first such degree programme in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The programme is intended to train engineers to design, build and deploy autonomous aerial systems for applications including agriculture, healthcare, environmental monitoring and disaster response.
Mohammed’s project illustrates how engineering students are already applying emerging technologies to practical challenges in Ghana’s agricultural sector, while the new UAS programme is expected to deepen the university’s focus on autonomous aerial technology.
Source: www.kumasimail.com/Academic City University
