GI-KACE hosts the 14th ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference 2022

The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) in collaboration with the National Communication Authority (NCA) has hosted the 14th ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference 2022 in Accra, Ghana.

Kaleidoscope 2022 is the fourteenth in a series of peer-reviewed academic conferences organized by ITU to bring together a wide range of views from universities, industry, and research institutions.

The aim of the Kaleidoscope conferences is to identify emerging developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and areas in need of international standards to aid the sustainable development of our interconnected world.

This is the first time the ITU Kaleidoscope Conference is held in West Africa.

In a welcome address by the Director-General for GI-KACE, Dr. Collins Yeboah-Afari, he stated that data on Extended Reality (XR) has shown that more than half of Africa’s population does not enjoy a fully digital experience.

This according to him is one of the reasons why the Government of Ghana, through its various Ministries and implementing agencies, is championing the Digitalization Agenda.

In opening remarks, Dr. Chaesub Lee stated that “As a result of the rapid urbanization to cater to this growing urban population around the world, the concept of Smart and Sustainable Cities has taken the center-stage to leverage emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Metaverse, among others, to ensure the availability of the city resources in terms of social, economic, and environmental aspects, to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants by resolving urban challenges and optimizing urban operations. I am also pleased to announce that the newest city on the block is Kyebi in Ghana.’’

In her keynote, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister for Communication and Digitalization disclosed that the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization (MoCD) has developed Ghana’s Digital Policy which will provide the framework for legislation that will guide Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.

“The effectiveness of a country’s digital transformation agenda is undergirded by a clearly defined digital policy and strategy. To this end, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization (MoCD) has developed Ghana’s Digital Policy which will provide the framework for legislation.

The Ministry is currently leading stakeholder engagement efforts on Ghana’s draft Digital Economy Policy for inputs to ensure inclusiveness and comprehensiveness. The draft policy is hinged on five pillars which include Digital Government, Data and emerging technologies, Digital Skills, Universal Access, and Connectivity, and Digital Entrepreneurship,” Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said.

She added that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are driving the global digital revolution and contributing to resolving developmental challenges in some emerging economies. According to the minister, Ghana has become a fertile ground for Data Science research and development with the entry of AI labs including Google’s first in Africa.

The 14th ITU Kaleidoscope conference theme for this year is “Extended reality –How to boost the quality of experience and interoperability.”

Dr. Collins Yeboah-Afari, Director-General for GI-KACE