Ghanaian private University, Dominion University College has announced plans to establish an effective Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to train and empower young men and women through Information technology (IT) and business opportunities.
The move is aimed at contributing towards the reduction of unemployment, among the youth and women in the country.
According to the Chairman of the University, Prof. Felix Nikoi Hammond, his outfit would be running the centre in partnership with some high-profile organisations in the United States of America (USA) to empower a future-ready workforce through artificial intelligence education at Dominion University College.
“Critically the yet-to-be-established centre which would be positioned in the premises of Dominion University College’s new ultramodern edifice at East Legon in Accra would be training our youths, women, and girls and empower them in IT and business opportunities.
“And that IT is already working and the technologies that they can easily take them to the markets and start working on. So while we are looking for funding, we are also solving the problem of young men and women’s unemployment which is Ghana’s biggest problem.
“The centre would be positioned in such a way that our youths, women, and girls who will be enrolled would not go through a mass educational system. They would be trained through effective entrepreneurship and equipped properly and when they go out there, they would know what exactly they are going to do,” the Chairman of Dominion University College disclosed.
Prof. Hammond made this pronouncement in an interview with Modernghana News on the sidelines of the 6th graduation ceremony of Dominion University on Saturday, April 15, held in Accra, on the theme; “Think Possibilities.”
The university’s 6th graduation was held with a charge on graduands to uphold integrity, character, and workplace competence.
The graduating students were presented with certificates for their outstanding performances in their respective disciplines.
Prof. Hammond in his address congratulated the graduates and urged them to use the knowledge they have acquired to transform their lives.
He encouraged them not to forget their backgrounds but rather be humble and let their training have a positive reflection on them and all those they associate with.
Prof. Hammond indicated that the university which is a renowned modern, supportive, and multinational higher education institution (HEI) accredited by the National Accreditation Board, has plans to go on a different path.
He mentioned that they plan to toe the line of the traditional path of doing things in the university, hence his outfit’s decision to set up the centre within the premises of the university.
He pointed out that the management of the university has already started raising funds internationally because they cannot depend on the university to raise the needed funds to run the centre.
He mentioned that they have tried to change the trend of teaching and learning in the university, adding that from September 2023, “they will make an official announcement about “our new approach to change education completely from what they have been doing in the past.”
Mrs. Herlin Mensah (left), Dean of Students at the Dominion University College, presenting a certificate to the overall best student, Edinam Betina Tefe at the graduation ceremony.
In effecting the changes in their educational systems, Prof. Hammond said emphasis would be put on educational product development and research.
According to him, they will focus on products that are marketable enough.
He noted that through these processes, grants application and funding would come from their partner organisations in the USA, saying there would be the commercialisation of the research outputs.
He stressed that some of the research outputs which are ready would be put into the marketing but they wouldn’t talk about them now.”
He said the centre would be well-resourced because “we are partnering with some organisations outside Ghana, which would bring in capacities, human, equipment, and technology to run the centre.
“We are setting up the centre of excellence for artificial intelligence within our premises by providing the spaces. And that there are some technologies that we can provide because these are high-profile organisations already, they have marketing penetration and products which are high and some of the products are governmental in nature. And so through that processes, we would be able to generate funds,” he stated.
Delivering an address at the graduation ceremony, Dominion University College President, Prof. N.N.N Nsowah-Nuamah congratulated the graduates, insisting that they have worked hard and must be celebrated.
“These graduands are young men and women who out of dint of hard work have distinguished themselves and therefore, must be crowned with success. We must share in the joy of their successes,” he said.
New Programmes
Prof. N. N. N. Nsowah-Nuamah further disclosed that the University College has submitted to Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) some MBA programmes in Marketing, HR, and Finance as well as Ph.D. in Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration.
In addition, the University is re-orienting its academic programmes towards competency-based training.
The President of the University explained that this is to create the Dominion Personality of graduates who would be equipped with practical training to make a difference at their various workplaces.
Meanwhile, the postgraduate school of the University started in earnest last year with Masters and a Ph.D. programme in statistics.
Linkages with Foreign Institutions
Prof. N.N.N Nsowah-Nuamah in his address indicated that in the University’s quest to forge greater collaboration with other research and academic institutions, both within and outside Ghana, the University College is trying to forge linkages with tertiary institutions in Korea and UK.
Concluding his address, the President of the Ghanaian private university advised graduates to be conscious of their time and ensure that it is used only on productive ventures.
“….be mindful of the people you associate yourself with as they may have either a positive or negative influence on your life. Always, be mindful of that popular adage that ‘bad association corrupts good morals’.
“Finally, never forget your background rather, be humbled by it and let your training have a positive reflection on you and all those you will be associated with,” Prof. N.N.N Nsowah-Nuamah stressed.
