Danny Manu, draws global attention with his earbuds invention
London, UK, June 15, 2025
A new invention has attracted attention in the tech sector. A pair of earbuds that has given the world a major breakthrough in seamless communication, scaling language barriers. The invention emerges from the stables of a Ghanaian tech expert.
Crafted by Danny Manu, a 36-year-old engineer born to Ghanaian parents, these devices, the Mymanu CLIK earbuds, stand out as the world’s first to translate over 40 languages in real time without an internet connection. The CLIK Pro translates over 50 languages, blowing past its predecessor’s 40-language cap. This is the kind of innovation that could rewrite how the world communicates, and it is African engineering leading the charge.
Manu’s journey toward this invention started long before the spotlight found him. Growing up, language was never just words. It was a barrier, a constant hurdle. At home, English mixed freely with his parents’ native tongue, a fluid dance of two worlds. But outside, it was different. He saw first-hand how his parents struggled. Those moments shaped his journey.
Years later, after earning a degree in aerospace engineering at Oxford Brookes University, Manu turned his skills toward a different challenge. By 2014, he founded Mymanu, initially to create a reliable speaker after his daughter’s phone met an untimely end when she dropped it in water. The CLIK earbuds, launched in 2016 following a $1.2 million Kickstarter campaign, emerged as his boldest effort yet.
What sets these earbuds apart is their independence from the cloud. Most translation tools, like Google Translate, rely on internet access to process languages, leaving users stranded in areas with weak signals. Manu’s design, however, uses advanced algorithms to handle translations locally, a feat detailed in a 2024 study from the Journal of Audio Engineering Society. The technology allows the earbuds to function in remote villages or conflict zones, where connectivity is a dream. It is a practical solution born from a personal understanding of life’s uneven access to technology.
The implications ripple far beyond a single gadget. For travellers, the earbuds promise freedom from the frustration of language barriers, even in the most rural outposts around the world. Aid workers, too, could benefit, coordinating with communities in their native tongues during crises when networks fail.
The device’s six-hour battery life, extended to 10 hours with the 2024 CLIK Pro model, requires planning, and early versions struggled with dialects. Still, users have praised its handling of languages like Swahili and Mandarin, though some online commentators pointing to the absence of local West African tongues, like Twi or Ga, hint at room for growth. The technology’s potential to bridge divides is clear, offering a tool that puts communication in the hands of the user, not the network.
This invention also carries a cultural weight. Africa, with its rich history of innovation, has often been on the fringes in modern tech narratives. Manu’s earbuds challenge that oversight. They join a growing list of African-led breakthroughs that are taking the tech world by storm.
The tech world has taken note. Google has recognised Manu’s contributions, and the CLIK earbuds earned a spot among CES innovation honourees. The journey has not been smooth. Money proved hard to find, as investors consistently chose safer markets over untested ventures. Manu turned instead to crowdfunding and modest grants, demonstrating the determination needed to turn concepts into reality. When COVID-19 spread, his response was Medybird, delivering essential protective gear to nations including Ghana. This pivot revealed his focus on urgent necessities rather than just technological innovation.
The continent’s potential is undeniable. With vast natural resources and a population where over 60% are under 25, Africa has the raw materials and youthful drive to lead. Still, it lags in global tech influence, a gap experts attribute to underinvestment.
The inventions are a signal of a world where technology bends to the people and not the other way around. The future is unlimited. It offers a future where borderless trade would be made simple, and all of this happens even if there is no cellular network. Undeniably, the devices still lag in battery endurance and local dialect support, but every patch moves the hardware closer to daily life.
Online, the reaction has been a mix of awe and pride, with posts on some social media platforms like X lamenting the lack of Western media coverage and celebrating African talent. The broader impact could reshape global communication.
With the world becoming more integrated, offline tools become a necessity, especially in regions where there is a lack of infrastructure. Manu’s invention qualifies as one of those tools, offering a template for decentralised technology that other people can follow. It also refutes the notion that innovation is the domain of a few wealthier nations, that solutions are everywhere.
For Africa, the stakes are higher. Africa’s tech industry is booming. Companies like Andela and projects such as the African Continental Free Trade Area are fuelling this rise. Manu’s success shows the world what home-grown talent can do. His earbuds are not just gadgets, they are evidence that determination and opportunity can ignite something remarkable.
In his work space, as in any other, the earbuds probably rest on a cluttered table, surrounded by scrawled blueprints and scattered gear, remnants of sleepless nights that made them be. Across Africa, from urban centres to remote villages, the potentials for more stories like Manu’s lies in wait to be found. With the right support, this may be the start of a revolution, one where the world is going to listen to a continent with something to say.
