The evolution of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, from early rudimentary concepts to their widespread use today, can be traced back to the use of balloons and kites, and later, rudimentary radio-controlled aircraft.
Initially developed for military training and reconnaissance, drones have become commonplace in various civilian applications such as photography, delivery and surveillance.
Particularly, drone technology is revolutionising agriculture by offering farmers cost-effective tools for crop monitoring, mapping and precision application of resources such as pesticides and fertilisers.
This leads to increased yields, reduced waste and safer working conditions.
Additionally, drones provide a unique chance to make agricultural work more efficient in various ways, reducing the workload for farmers and entrusting it to skilled drone pilots.
Intervention
To scale up the use of drone services and the provision of other digital tools and skills, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) E-learning Centre, in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited, has established a new drone innovation and simulation unit at the university.
Prof. (Mrs) Rita Akosua Dickson (left), Vice Chancellor, Daniel Aquaye (2nd from left partly covered), CEO, Agrimpact, being assisted by some dignitaries to cut the tape to inaugurate the drone centre. Those with them include Prof. Eric Appau Asante (middle), Director, E-learning Centre, KNUST.
The unit was officially inaugurated last Tuesday, July 22, 2025, during the fourth edition of the E-learning Awareness Week on the theme: “Transforming Education through Responsible Innovation and Inclusion in the Digital Era”.
Its 11 drone facilities serve multiple purposes, spanning agriculture, video coverage, data sourcing, sensing, and extraction of resources at remote locations.
The training facility, dubbed “Dan F. Acquaye Drone Innovation and Simulation Unit” and located at the university’s E-learning centre, has been named after the Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact Limited, Daniel Fahene Acquaye, an agribusiness expert, who also serves as an E-learning Ambassador at KNUST.
The provision of the drone unit formed part of the implementation the $500,000 Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) project, a four-year partnership rolled out by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by Agri-Impact Limited, aimed at creating over 326,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth of which 70 per cent will be women and persons who are challenged.
Supported by an eight-member consortium, comprising Newage Agric Solutions, the National Service Authority (NSA), Ghana Cares (MiDA), the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), TechnoServe, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Jobberman, HAPPY aims to increase food production and productivity in rice, soybean, tomato and poultry value chains by 20 per cent, while reducing food imports by 10 per cent.
Units
The centre has three different units, namely a showroom that exhibits the various drones for people to see and read about them physically.
An official of the E-Learning Centre, flying a drone.
The other space is the drone simulation unit, which has virtual exposure to learners.
Additionally, different online applications are leveraged to train young people online to become drone pilots before they have on-site, hands-on exposure to drones to utilise.
The last area is the drone research and development space, which serves as a resource and development hub where models would be created and serve as a workshop for people to learn to sail.
Several functions
Speaking at the end of the ceremony, the Director of the E-learning Centre, KNUST, Professor Eric Appau Asante, said the unit, which performed several functions, would also serve the university community and the nation.
Dennis Tandoh (right), Member of the Instructional Design team, supervising Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson (seated), to fly a drone. Those looking on include Professor Marian Asantewah Nkansah (left), Director of Student Affairs.
Specifically, he said it would train people on how to pilot a drone to serve the teaming needs of the Ghanaian economy, saying “we are targeting to train a good number of young people who will end up creating jobs with the skills acquired”.
“As a result, we have developed a comprehensive curriculum to guide learners to fit into this drone wave”, he said and stressed that the unit was committed to training young people to become ‘dronepreneurs’.
He added that the new unit would clearly assist the university in embracing the digital transformation that the world is pursuing, and that Ghana requires many drone pilots to help promote the nation's growth.
He thanked Mr Acquaye and his outfit for their continuous commitment to innovation, educational advancement and relentless support to the KNUST in its quest to deliver quality tertiary education to students.
Innovations
In a remark, the Vice Chancellor, KNUST, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, also applauded Mr Acquaye, an alumnus of the university, for the innovations he had introduced to support the institution.
Daniel Aquaye, CEO, Agrimpact, trying his hands on a drone.
She further praised him for supplying the university with greenhouses for growing vegetables to feed the community. She assured the institution would continue to collaborate with him for their mutual benefit.
Solve problems
For his part, Mr Acquaye said society can never do away with digital technologies, not only because they have become the order of the day but also because of their opportunities regarding job creation and solving industries' problems.
Looking at the agricultural space, he mentioned that physical eyes cannot be used to monitor and provide services all the time, saying, “We want to introduce drone services which can monitor large commercial farms and small farms”.
He mentioned that the drones would be able to collect specific data to improve productivity and the overall development of the agricultural sector, and said that while doing so, a new group of young people would establish enterprises in agricultural drone services.
He said that using drones for agricultural mapping, nutrient analysis in the soil, disease detection among other applications, can be easily achieved to improve crop production in the country.
He also indicated that when these technologies are used, farmers can save 30 per cent of their costs and increase productivity by between 30 and 50 per cent.
Other interventions
He said that in partnership with the KNUST E-learning centre’s E-HAPPY programme, more than 190,000 people have been supported in less than two years of the four-year project and that more than 50 beneficiaries have established their own enterprises using digital tools.
“We will continue to expand, so we need a centre like the drone unit to deliver the services towards achieving the goal”, Mr Acquaye noted and further announced that the first cohort would be trained at the unit in the next two months.
While expressing gratitude to the university management for the honour, he underscored the importance of using drone technology to improve, particularly in agriculture, to ensure food security.
Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.
