Dominion University to partner US organisations set up centre of excellence for artificial intelligence

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, which 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 future ready workforce through artificial intelligence education at Dominion University College.

“Critically the yet-to-be established centre which would be positioned in the premises of Dominion University College new ultramodern edifice at East Legon in Accra would be training our youths, women and girls and empower them in IT and business opportunities.

“And that IT is already working and the technologies that they can easily take them to the markets and start working on. So while we are looking for fundings, we are also solving the problem of young men and women unemployment which is Ghana’s biggest problem.”

“The centre would be positioned in such way that our youths, women and girls who will be enrolled would not go through mass educational system. They would be trained through an effective entrepreneurship and equipped them properly and when they go out there, they would know what exactly they are going to do,” the Chairman for Dominion University College disclosed.

Prof. Hammond made this pronouncement in an interview with DAILY Analyst on the sidelines of the 6th graduation ceremony of Dominion University on Saturday, April 15, 2023, held in Accra, which was on the theme; “Think Possibilities.”

The university held its 6th graduation on Saturday in Accra with a charge on graduands to uphold integrity, character and workplace competence.

The graduated 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 the media later, Prof. Hammond indicated that the university which is a renowned modern, supportive and multinational higher education institution (HEI) accredited by the National Accreditation Board, has plans of going on a different path.

He mentioned that they plan to toe the line of the traditional path of doing things in the university, hence his outfit’s decision to set up the centre within the premises of the university.

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, “they will make 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 their educational systems, Prof. Hammond said emphasis will be put on educational products 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 commercialisation of the research outputs.

He stressed that some of the research outputs which are ready would be put into the marketing but they wouldn’t talk about them now.”

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.

“We are setting up the centre of excellence for artificial intelligence within our premises by providing the spaces. And that there are some technologies that we can provide and because these are high profile organisations already, they have marketing penetration and products which are high and some of the products are governmental in nature. And so through that processes, we would be able to generate funds,” he stated.

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