The Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana, Elsie Effah Kaufmann, has encouraged young people to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to enhance productivity, stressing that the technology is already shaping the future.

Speaking at the Rethink Africa Intelligence Conference held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on April 10, 2026, Prof Kaufmann noted that readiness for AI is no longer optional.

“I think we are very ready. In fact, whether we are ready or not, it is here. So, it’s in our best interest to make ourselves even more ready and to participate fully in it,” she said.

Addressing concerns about how young Ghanaians can benefit from AI, Prof Kaufmann emphasised that the technology cannot replace foundational knowledge and skills.

“AI is a tool. If you don’t have domain competence, AI can’t help you much anyway,” she explained.

“Ghanaians are supposed to do what they’ve been doing and continue doing those things well, and look for ways in which they might deploy AI to make them even more efficient and better.”

She added that AI should be seen as a support system that enhances human effort rather than replaces it, particularly in handling large volumes of data.

“With the data that we are generating on a daily basis, there’s no way a human being can handle all of it. That is where AI comes in,” she said.

Also speaking at the conference, Collins Atari, Director-General of the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, called on researchers to develop solutions tailored to the continent.

He urged stakeholders to focus on leveraging local datasets to address Africa’s unique challenges, stressing the importance of building AI systems grounded in African realities.

The two-day conference brought together policymakers, researchers and industry players to deliberate on the future of AI and digital transformation on the continent.

It was co-hosted in partnership with global technology company Google, the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications.

@modernafrica_ Solve African problems with African data - Ing Collins Atari , Director General of Kofi Annan ICT Center charges AI researchers #viralvideo #ai #artificelintelligence ♬ original sound - modernafrica_

@yaw_dollar_ Elsie Effah Kaufmann emphasizes that AI is already present and unavoidable, urging Ghanaians to embrace it as a tool to enhance—not replace—their skills. She highlights that strong foundational competence is essential, with AI serving to improve efficiency, handle complex data, and make work faster and more effective.#goviral #viraltiktok #fyp ♬ original sound - TheYDMediaNetwork