The Deputy Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Mohammed Adams Sukparu, has urged universities to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to guide students in using AI tools effectively and ethically.
He made the call when he launched the Africa Upskilling Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programme on Monday, 24 August 2026, at the GCTU main campus in Accra.
The programme, which is sponsored by Google through the FATE Foundation, in collaboration with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), is expected to train more than 40 students and educators across four universities in Ghana. Similar training sessions are also being held in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, which was attended by stakeholders, particularly representatives from the education sector, Hon. Sukparu commended the participating universities for joining the initiative and stressed the importance of developing responsible AI skills across different sectors of society.
He said the programme aligns with the government’s efforts to strengthen Ghana’s digital and technological capabilities, noting that AI is a critical component of the country’s digital transformation and national development agenda.
He revealed that the government has launched the National AI Strategy, which is built around eight key pillars to guide Ghana’s ambition of becoming an AI hub. He added that government was also working with international partners to develop a national AI delivery framework to guide and oversee the implementation of the strategy.
Hon. Sukparu said the government’s focus was on building the ecosystems required for the responsible adoption of AI, including skills development, data governance, state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovation and appropriate policy frameworks.
He cited initiatives such as the 1 Million Coders Programme, which seeks to equip Ghanaians with future-ready digital skills and said the government was also working with development partners, including UNESCO and UNDP, to strengthen AI capacity among young people and public-sector workers.
“Whereas Ghana has already started exposing public servants to the opportunities and practical applications of AI, these efforts underscore the importance of extending AI skills beyond specialist technology communities and making them relevant to professionals across various sectors,” he said.
He urged universities to ensure that responsible AI use becomes an integral part of education, particularly as students and educators increasingly adopt AI tools for teaching, learning, assignments and research.
“I encourage the universities to equip educators so they can guide students in using these tools effectively and ethically for their assignments and research,” he stated.
Hon. Sukparu further said students in agriculture, health, engineering, finance, education and the creative industries should be equipped to identify and apply AI solutions relevant to their respective fields.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration between academic institutions and industry to ensure that AI education responds to real-world needs and contributes meaningfully to national development.
The Deputy Minister commended the FATE Foundation, Google, AIMS and other partners for supporting the initiative, describing the decision to focus on training educators and others who would in turn train additional users as commendable.
