The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has received a US$45,864 grant to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) education, research and innovation programmes.
The funding, secured under the Africa AI Upscale Programme, is expected to strengthen the university’s capacity to equip students and researchers with advanced AI skills while promoting the application of the technology across different academic disciplines.
KNUST is one of several higher education institutions selected from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa to participate in the continental initiative, which is aimed at developing a sustainable and scalable ecosystem for advanced AI education in Africa.
The programme is being implemented by the FATE Foundation in collaboration with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), with support from Google.org.
As part of the initiative, KNUST will have access to the Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations Curriculum, alongside technical, academic and institutional support designed to strengthen AI teaching and applied research.
The university will use the grant to facilitate implementation of the programme and build institutional capacity for AI education and research.
Professor Eric Appau Asante, Project Lead and Primary Programme Contact Person for KNUST, will oversee the university’s participation and coordinate activities involving management, academic units, multidisciplinary AI champions, teaching assistants and programme partners.
The project is expected to provide KNUST students and researchers with greater exposure to emerging AI technologies and encourage collaboration across disciplines.
University management said the initiative was consistent with KNUST’s strategic priorities of innovation, digital transformation and the delivery of globally relevant education.
Management also assured that the university would provide the required facilities, academic support and institutional environment to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the programme.
KNUST further indicated that it would examine opportunities to incorporate lessons and outcomes from the initiative into its wider academic, research and innovation activities.
The programme is therefore expected to contribute to strengthening Ghana’s AI talent pipeline while positioning KNUST to play a greater role in Africa’s growing artificial intelligence ecosystem.
