Thursday, 28 March

G/A: Dominion University to partner USA organisations to set up a Centre for Artificial Intelligence

Education
Prof Felix Nikoi Hammond

The Dominion University College, a private university in Accra, 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 establishment of the centre 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 AI education at Dominion University College.

"Critically, the yet-to-be-established centre would be positioned at the premises of Dominion University College's new ultramodern edifice at East Legon in Accra.

"It would be for training our youth and empowering them in IT and business opportunities," he said.

"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," he noted.

''The centre would be positioned in such a way that our youth, women and girls who will be enrolled would not go through a mass educational system. 

"They would be trained through effective entrepreneurship and equip the students 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 Class 91.3 FM's reporter Apelete Kofi-Michel, on the sidelines of the 6th graduation ceremony of Dominion University on Saturday, April 15, 2023, held in Accra, on the theme: 'Think Possibilities'.

The university held its 6th graduation charging graduands to uphold integrity, character and workplace competence.

The graduate 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.

Speaking to Class FM, Prof Hammond indicated that the university which is a renowned modern, supportive and multinational higher education institution (HEI) and is accredited by the National Accreditation Board, had plans of going on a different path.

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, there will be "an official announcement about our new approach to change education completely from what they have been doing in the past."

In effecting the changes in the educational system, Prof Hammond said the emphasis will 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 that there would be the commercialisation of the research outputs.

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."

Source: Classfmonline.com/cecil Mensah