Two Ghanaian teenagers, Tahama Fareeda Barajei and Kayla Kurt Prange, have etched their names into the history books after becoming the first-ever Ghanaians to receive the prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award in the National Geographic Society’s 2026 Slingshot Challenge.
The pair earned global recognition for their innovative project, Nsuo Pa, which was selected among just 15 outstanding initiatives worldwide from more than 2,300 submissions representing 104 countries. Their achievement comes with a $5,000 grant to further develop the project.
Their journey began after learning about the Slingshot Challenge through a dive lab and an inspiring convening hosted in Ghana by recipients of last year’s challenge. Motivated by the stories they heard, the teenagers realised they had the ability to drive meaningful environmental change despite their age.
Determined to make an impact, they developed Nsuo Pa, a community-led initiative designed to address water pollution caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
At the heart of the project is a prototype water filtration system built from recycled plastic bottles to help improve access to cleaner water in mining-affected communities.
Beyond the engineering solution, the duo has also embarked on an educational campaign, visiting Presbyterian Basic Schools in Apenkwa to teach children—particularly those living in galamsey-prone areas—how to build the filters themselves.
Speaking on ABC In The Morning, the young innovators said the initiative goes beyond providing clean water and is aimed at long-term environmental awareness and behavioural change.
According to the duo, the project also aims to equip young people with sustainable alternatives that could steer them away from illegal mining activities. They added that their long-term vision is to expand and strengthen the initiative. “We plan to make Nsuo Pa more impacting,” they said, outlining their intention to scale up the innovation.
The $5,000 grant will now support the design and development of a more advanced, large-scale filtration system specifically engineered to treat water contaminated by galamsey operations. The pair hopes to expand the solution to communities across Ghana that continue to grapple with the devastating effects of illegal mining.
While acknowledging that water filtration alone cannot solve the galamsey crisis, Tahama and Kayla say Nsuo Pa represents one part of a broader solution that combines environmental protection, education and community empowerment.
“As teenagers, we realised we have the power to create real environmental change,” the award recipients said, adding that they hope their project will inspire more young people to become part of the solution.
Representing Ghana on the global stage, the duo is appealing to the public to support their journey by voting for Nsuo Pa in the ongoing National Geographic Slingshot Challenge showcase. They say every free vote will help draw greater international attention to Ghana’s galamsey crisis and unlock more resources to protect the country’s water bodies.
