University of Ghana launches $37.5 million ICT project

The University of Ghana has launched a US$37.5 million information and communication technology, or ICT, project to support its distance education programme. Deputy Minister of Education Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa said the initiative would help to ease pressure on university facilities, especially lecture halls.

The project is being funded by the Chinese government, and a Chinese IT company, Unis Splendour Software System China, is the contractor for the project, which includes a well-equipped computer centre.

Okudzeto-Ablakwa urged distance education students to use the facility for the right purposes, adding that they must allow “the new technology to deepen their understanding of the modern world and use the opportunities that they have to come up with more innovations and findings that can guarantee a prosperous and wealthy nation”.

Vice-Chancellor Ernest Aryeetey said the project was part of a larger set of activities reflecting the strong desire of the university to use ICT to achieve its future goals.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Sun Baohong, said the Chinese government was committed to supporting an increase in access to ICT for improved information sharing and was hopeful that the project would strengthen the relationship between Ghana and China.

The vice-president of Unis Splendour Software System China, Yong Deng, said the use of ICT in teaching and learning would help students become more open-minded, adding that “education is the bridge between wealth and poverty” and that his company was excited to be part of the university’s success story.