2 MoUs signed on digital solution, emerging technologies

Two separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)- one to bring digital solutions to the economy and the other for the conduct of research into emerging technologies - have been signed in Accra.

The MoU on digital solutions was signed between the Ghana Digital Centres Limited (GDCL) and M/S. Mudunuru Limited, India, a provider of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products and solutions.

For the MoU on research into emerging technologies, it was signed between the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) and the Department of Computer and Electricals Engineering of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani.

Technical assistance

The GDCL and Mudunuru Limited’s partnership will provide a comprehensive and high-quality technical assistance and support in establishing digital schools co-located at Ghana Digital Centres.

The schools will offer technical skills development and capacity-building programmes that will help build an eco-system and empower startups with market strategies.

Subsequently, this will translate into students and working professionals getting better placements and contributing to the national economy.

Strategic

At the ceremony last Tuesday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GCDL, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, said the partnership was a strategic one that would provide effective capacity-building, technical assistance and support.

“This symbolises a partnership which will add value to both GDCL and the Mudunuru Group and produce synergies that will result in achieving our shared goal of making Ghana a global digital solutions hub,” Mr Agyemang stated.

Mr Agyemang added that through the partnership, a joint compendium of relevant capacity-building and training programmes would be made available for funding organisations in Ghana, India and other multilateral organisations.

ICT capabilities

The CEO of Mudunuru Limited, Mudunum MS Raju, stated that the broad objective of this MoU was to significantly enhance ICT capabilities and infrastructure in Ghana.

He noted that this would expand the network of the GDCL to other parts of the country and the sub-region to enable students and working professionals to gain access to the facilities and programmes.

Kofi Annan Centre

According to the Director-General of GI-KACE, Dr Collins Yeboah-Afari, the MoU with UENR formed part of their contribution to the government’s digitalisation agenda.

He said at the signing ceremony that the partnership would also facilitate the Department of Computer and Electricals Engineering students’ participation and hands-on sessions on campuses and our centres in Sunyani and Accra.

“We will also jointly conduct research in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, and accommodate your students for internships and others,” Dr Yeboah-Afari disclosed.

Fruitful collaboration

The Vice-Chancellor of UENR, Prof. Elvis Asare-Bediako welcomed the collaboration between the two institutions.

“These days, one institution cannot do it alone. Both the University of Energy and Natural Resources and Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence are therefore supposed to support each other to support the government’s vision. GI-KACE is supposed to champion this idea because ICT is now the trend, and so whether you like it or not, it is ICT that is ruling the world and so we want to commend you for what you have been doing,” Prof. Asare-Bediako said.

He noted that UENR was looking to run academic degrees internally for GI-KACE staff who would want to upgrade themselves.

“It is my wish that this MoU that we have signed will not be the type that will gather dust on the shelf but rather a more active one,” he stated.