Investment in digital infrastructure accelerates holistic development – Minister

Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, has underscored the importance of investment in digital technology in accelerating economic development.

The Minister said a robust digital infrastructure provided opportunities, especially for rural areas, to have access to the internet and be connected to the global space.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said this at the launch of the Readiness Assessment Measurement (RAM): Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Ghana.

The RAM is a key tool to support Member States in their implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.

The RAM includes a range of quantitative and qualitative questions designed to gather information about different dimensions related to a country’s AI ecosystem, including the legal and regulatory, social and cultural, economic, scientific and educational, and technological and infrastructural dimensions. 

She said it was imperative to leverage ethical AI to revolutionise the country’s digital technologies for sustainable development. 

That, she stressed, was important because AI helped to contribute to the country’s perspectives on the development of sectors of the economy.

Technology, she stated, must provide the country with the necessary platform to input the country’s needed based on our socio-cultural importance.

“Technological devices enhance our natural abilities. It is important to blend digital literacy and critical thinking and analysis to optimise the full benefits of technology,” she said.

The Minister emphasised the importance of internet connectivity, saying it helped propel into the 4th industrial revolution.

She said in the next five years, it would be important for the entire country to have access to digitalisation, saying ” nobody can live an optimum life without Internet connectivity.”

 Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the government had launched the Ghana Knowledge and Skills Bank portal, a cutting-edge platform designed to bridge the skills gap and revolutionise learning across the country.

The initiative is a key component of the government’s ambitious digitalisation agenda, which aims to enhance access to quality education for all, regardless of location or resources. 

The platform provides free access to an extensive range of educational materials and tutoring services.

Mr Edmond Moukala, Head of the UNESCO Office in Accra, expressed their support for achieving the digitisation agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

He encouraged Africans to make good use of AI through education by responding to the social needs of the public like water, electricity, and food.

Mr James Wright, Programme Specialist, Section for Bioethics and the Ethics of Science and Technology, UNESCO Headquarters, said the launch of the Global AI Ethics underscored UNESCO’s commitment to promoting the ethical development and deployment of AI technologies worldwide. 

The commitment he stated sought to empower stakeholders to harness the transformative potential of AI while safeguarding fundamental human rights, promoting inclusivity, and mitigating the risks of unintended consequences.

Source: GNA

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