A student and an alumna of the Department of Geomatic Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) have received honours at the Esri User Conference West Africa 2026 in Accra.

Dennis Appiah Ansah, a student of the Department, won the Map for Impact Hackathon 2026 with FLOODWATCH, a citizen-centred geospatial solution designed to provide communities with information on flood risks in their local areas.

The hackathon, organised by Sambus Geospatial, formed part of the Esri User Conference West Africa 2026 held at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.

FLOODWATCH uses geospatial technology to help people access location-specific information on flood risks, demonstrating how geographic information systems (GIS) can be applied to community-level challenges and disaster resilience.

At the same conference, KNUST alumna Monica Akyeampong officially received the Esri Young Scholar for Ghana 2025 Award in recognition of her achievements and contribution to the geospatial field.

Miss Akyeampong, a graduate of KNUST's Department of Geomatic Engineering, was selected as Ghana's Esri Young Scholar for 2025.