ICT has potential to transform African businesses - Prof. Richardson

Professor Dr Emeritus Albert O. Ebo Richardson, Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University say Information Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to transform businesses and governments in Africa.

He said knowledge of Science and Technology would drive rapid economic growth, and a mastery of the use of technology as a productivity tool to contribute towards nation-building enterprises, was nonnegotiable.

He made the remarks remotely at the 111th Speech, Prize-giving and Founder’s Day Celebration of Adisadel College hosted by the 1996 year group – Santa 96, on the theme: “Transforming Secondary Education and Preserving History: The Role Of Technology.”

As part of its social responsibility to the school 25 years after completion, Santa 96 established the first African Digital Museum for a secondary school which has a collection of Adisadel College’s rich history digitized for easy access.

The Project, christened the “Repurposing of Canterbury Hall” witnessed the structural transformation of the hitherto defective hall into a technology centre for advanced computerized, digital, interactive audio-visual teaching and learning environment to project the “the Adisco Story”.

Prof Richardson said individuals needed to acquire core knowledge in the theory and practice of science through Information Technology and develop the necessary intellectual and socio-economic skills and personal attributes needed to excel in society.

According to him, Africa needed to explore and build a competitive IT industry to promote innovation, job creation, and the export potential of African companies, adding that having scientific, educational and technological manpower was needed to transform and drive economic development at all levels.

Touching on how transformed Secondary Education could impact the Ghanaian economy, he said the new foundation in education would enable secondary school leavers to develop technology-based start-up for small business enterprises to create jobs.

He said industrialization, pioneered by Ghana’s secondary and tertiary students would upscale with the development and programming of simple gadgets for appliance control, telecommunication, digital audio, booming music equipment and the programming industry generally.

Mr Joseph Kojo Hackman, President of the 1996 Santaclausians Old Boys Association said digital technology had become a driving force for growth and development and the fibre that had kept society connected in a socially distanced world.

He said, “technology has made teaching and learning much more effective and interesting and enables students to gain knowledge in various disciplines irrespective of their geographical location”.

He called on the school administration and the student body to make the most and best use of the digital museum with a duty of care and regular maintenance, in order to enhance the ICT capacity of the school and to enrich teaching and learning.