The Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation has unveiled plans to establish a Digital Youth Village at the University of Ghana.
The initiative, announced by the Sector Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, during the 75th Annual New Year School Conference in Accra, aims to create a centre of excellence for learning, innovation and creativity.
The Digital Youth Village will have advanced infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, providing a platform for sustainable learning experiences and empowering young people with modern technology for innovation and digital transformation.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful highlighted that the goal of this initiative is to promote digital entrepreneurship among the country’s youth.
The Minister also praised the University’s efforts in Information and Communication Technologies, including campus radio, fibre optic connectivity and responsible communications tower installation.
Additionally, she outlined various projects that focus on formalising the economy through technology, data management, e-governance, the Ghana.gov digital platform, digital addressing system, e-passport initiatives and cybersecurity.
One of the projects, “Smart Community Project,” aims at providing affordable or free Wi-Fi services to underserved communities. Another project, the Rural Telephony Project, aims to expand mobile and data services nationwide by the end of the year.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful emphasised the importance of investing in research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and supporting educational institutions in integrating digital tools at all academic levels and programmes.
The Provost of the College of Education at the University of Ghana, Prof. Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, highlighted the role of the Digital Youth Village in setting national standards and promoting business and competition.
He emphasised its significance in nurturing digital entrepreneurial talent with a global outlook and facilitating access to markets, capital, talents and resources necessary for success in Ghana’s digital economy.
The Annual New Year School Conference aims to enhance public participation in governance, promote the adoption of technology and humanism for sustainable development, leverage the digital economy for growth and discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in building resilience.
This year’s conference theme is “Nurturing Resilience: Embracing Technology and Humanism for Sustainable Development.”