By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, Oct. 17, GNA – The Government’s One Million Coders Programme is set to receive a major boost following the commissioning of a ‘world-class’ skills training lab by the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), in Accra.
Dubbed the “Centre for Innovation, Technology Skills and Entrepreneurship Training (CITSET),” the facility is a cutting-edge training centre dedicated to fostering creativity, research, and information technology advancement.
The 60-seater lab is equipped with fully connected computers, an interactive boards and multimedia headset, to facilitate teaching and learning.
Speaking at the unveiling of the facility, in Accra, Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, Vice Chancellor of GCTU, said as a university of technology, its mandate was to ensure that its graduates do not merely learn about technology, but also lived, created with and led through it.
The setting up of the Centre, he said, would bridge theory and practice, while serving as a place where students, researchers, and entrepreneurs collaborated to explore the endless possibilities of innovation.
“This Centre will nurture creative minds, support start-ups, build digital competencies, and ultimately position GCTU as a hub for technology-driven solutions in Ghana and beyond,” he touted.
Prof Afoakwa also indicated that the establishment of the Centre aligned with the Government’s One Million Coders Programme, which is aimed at equipping one million Ghanaians with digital skills annually to drive the country’s digital economy.
He said with the commissioning of the CITSET, coupled with other ‘well-equipped’ labs in the university, the institution was well placed to build the capacity of about half of the beneficiaries of the coders programme, annually.
“We have discussed that (with government), we are going to actively participate in the One Million Coders Programme because we have the facilities and the facilities are world class, you can’t get this anywhere in Ghana,” he said.
“I believe that we alone, the Ghana Communication Technology University alone, can train half of it, about 500,000 in a very short space because the facilities are there.”
Mr Mohammed Adams Sukparu, Deputy Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, lauded the initiative, saying the CITSET was in line with the Government’s digital transformation agenda, which sought to transform the economy through digitalisation.
He said as the only specialised higher education institution focused on telecommunications, computing, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the GCTU played a distinctive and vital role in Ghana’s national framework for technology education.
GCTU has the responsibility to provide the skilled workforce the country’s economy required to thrive in such a digital era, he added.
The establishment of the CITSET, Mr Sukparu said, was therefore, a significant step toward that goal, describing the facility as “a pathway to entrepreneurship and technology commercialisation.”
The Deputy Minister emphasised the importance of building a strong infrastructure, explaining that digital revolution depended on solid, resilient and robust infrastructure.
As a result, he said, Government, with the support from the World Bank, was investing in the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project (GDAP), which aims to expand broadband access, enhance digital public services, and strengthen the digital innovation ecosystem.
He pledged the Ministry’s commitment to assisting the GCTU build a robust fiber connectivity, enhance access to data centres, campus-wide WiFi, and cloud infrastructure.
These enhancements will not only serve the faculty and students but also support start-ups and incubated ventures within the Centre, said Mr Sukparu.
“We will jointly support the drafting of a sustainability plan to ensure this Centre remains dynamic, financially viable, and responsive to evolving technology,” he added.
Mr. Divine Kpetigo, Chairman of GCTU’s Governing Council, described the Centre as the University’s commitment to preparing a generation of innovators, problem solvers and entrepreneurs to lead Ghana’s digital transformation.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba