By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi, GNA
Accra, Oct. 1, GNA – Artificial Intelligence (AI) advocates and technology leaders have underscored the need for stronger collaboration among academia, industry and government to equip Ghana’s youth with the digital knowledge and skills required to thrive in the emerging digital economy.
The call was made on the second day of the Pan-African AI and Innovation Summit, where speakers highlighted the growing importance of artificial intelligence, digital skills development and mentorship in preparing young people for opportunities in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Mr Franklin Asare, AI advocate and Executive Chairman of Sterling Projects Group, said the large number of young people seeking knowledge and opportunities reflected a strong desire among the youth to acquire skills relevant to the digital age.
He stressed the need for young people to develop digital, information technology (IT) and other critical skills to enable them to take advantage of opportunities beyond traditional office-based employment.
Mr Asare described the government’s Internet Village initiative as an important platform for expanding access to digital resources and opportunities for young people.
He called for closer cooperation among academia, policymakers, and industry players to create a framework that combines expertise, innovation and resources to support youth development and digital inclusion.
The AI advocate also highlighted mentorship as an essential component of youth empowerment, noting that proper guidance could help young people to navigate challenges, avoid costly mistakes, and maximise their potential.
Effective mentorship would enable the youth to transform their talents and aspirations into meaningful impact for their communities and the nation, he said.
Speaking on the topic: “Building Afrocentric AI: Solving Local Problems and Empowering Youth,” Dr Frank Acquaye, Chief Technology Officer of AdwumaTech AI, Africa’s AI service firm, urged African technology developers to focus on local needs, open-source innovation, and community participation when designing AI solutions.
He said developers must first understand the realities and needs of their target users rather than simply building language models without considering accessibility and usability.
Dr Acquaye noted that in Ghana many people, particularly farmers, could speak and understand local languages but may be unable to read or write them.
To address that challenge, he advocated a voice-first approach to AI development, explaining that voice-enabled technologies could make digital tools more accessible to people with limited literacy.
He said the challenge was not unique to Ghana, as similar conditions existed across Africa, where communities required technology tailored to their languages, cultures and socio-economic circumstances to ensure the maximum benefits were achieved.
Dr. Acquaye further called for greater openness in AI development to accelerate innovation and build local capacity.
“Developers must build AI systems in the open, through open-source technologies and openly available weights. Openness allows others to inspect, test and build on existing work, thereby promoting credibility, trust and the continuous development of local capacity,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
patrick.nudzi@gna