By Emelia B. Addae
Ayirebi (E/R), July 28, GNA – The Institute of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professionals Ghana and the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications have introduced students in Akyemansa District schools to the basics of coding and programming for creating applications.
The two organisations have now embarked on a coding caravan, which is a digital skills awareness programme that aims to equip students in deprived and hard-to-reach areas with the basics of ICT and how to solve societal problems with digital tools.
Coding is the process of transforming ideas, solutions, and instructions into a language that the computer can understand, as well as telling the machine which actions to perform and how to complete tasks.
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, speaking at the ICT practical lesson workshop at Ofoase in the Akyemansa district of the Eastern region, said, “We’ve realised the fact that it was critical that if Ghana was going to be transformed from a lower middle-class country to a first-class country, we must take advantage of the industrial revolution, as well as the need to drive the wave of all the digital transmission tools.”
He listed the digital transformation tools as including artificial intelligence (AI) and chat-based Generative Pre-trained Transformation (GPT), but quizzed, how are we going to do that when our young ones don’t have access to technology.
He said in the cities, there were opportunities for the children to learn because computers and facilitators were available to teach them.
“There was, therefore, the need to introduce the coding caravan initiative to those in remote areas so that they do not rush to the urban centres to toil in search of jobs since they can use the ICT to create businesses,” Dr. Ashigbey said.
For instance, he noted, creating an advertising app or website to sell a product could reach a wide range of buyers and generate income without much hustle.
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication is an industry association and a private initiative by the mobile network operators in Ghana.
It is an advocacy institution established to help direct telecommunications policy, legislation, and regulation, and pursue research towards the development of telecommunications.
In the Akyemansa district, the coding programme drew about 200 students from various schools to Ofoase D/A Junior High School, where the training took place, and they were grouped into two batches.
The organisations carried along laptop computers, and every student was entitled to one for the purpose of the training workshop while they were guided by resource persons throughout.
Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase/Ayirebi constituency and Minister of Information, said the district was working hard to build an ICT centre and a coding centre equipped with the necessary equipment to help children learn to code.
“The future belongs to those who can use computers and Artificial Intelligence to solve problems such as education, trading, and farming challenges, so I implore you (students) to develop an interest in ICT and learn it well,” he said.
He called on the organisations to support the district when it is able to create the coding centre with human resources to equip the children with knowledge.
Mr. David Gowu, Executive Director of the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana, said, “We are in a new wave. After 30 years of democracy, what next. I think the next thing we need to do is equip every young person with ICT to know how to use the computer for development.”
He said, “We cannot get all the children involved to be computer experts, but a percentage of them would develop an interest in learning, and that is where the next set of entrepreneurs will come from.”
The Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana is a professional organisation comprised of ICT practitioners from diverse fields.
Its goals are to educate the public, mobilise professionals, students, and companies, train and certify professionals, and give opportunities through networking.
GNA