The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has underscored its commitment to advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a catalyst for national and regional development at the AI4SD Mini Conference in Kumasi.
The conference, organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), on the theme “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, brought together researchers, students, innovators, policymakers and development partners for the three-day programme.
Speaking at the opening of the AI for Sustainable Development (AI4SD) Conference, the project lead for GAEC, who doubles as the Deputy Director General of the Commission, Prof. Francis Hasford, highlighted the critical role of AI in shaping the future of science, technology, and innovation in Ghana.
“Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant or abstract concept. It is rapidly reshaping how we conduct research, manage resources, deliver healthcare, strengthen agriculture, and design policy interventions,” he stated.
Prof. Hasford underscored the fact that in the case of developing countries, AI provides a powerful opportunity to overcome traditional limitations but stressed that success depended heavily on building local capacities and ensuring that AI systems are developed around data collected locally to solve problems.
“Knowledge and networks emerging from the conference would significantly advance both national and regional sustainable development targets,” he added.
The project lead also reiterated GAEC’s position as one of Africa’s leading institutions in nuclear science and related technologies as well as space science. Noting that AI has become a strategic tool in the Commission’s operations, highlighting ongoing GAEC projects under the AI4SD initiative, including crop health monitoring and yield prediction using Earth Observation data, biomedical and radiobiological research and advanced analytics for environmental monitoring, radiation protection, and industrial applications.
Again, Prof. Hasford said that “Integrating AI into nuclear science and related technologies enhances GAEC’s ability to transform complex datasets into concrete information in food security, climate change, and public health for policymakers and end-users. We therefore encourage you to form collaborations with us which will lead to joint research, shared datasets, pilot applications, and scalable solutions”.
On behalf of the Director General, he extended profound appreciation to KNUST for hosting the conference and to the French Embassy for its funding support and reaffirmed GAEC’s dedication to work with universities, government institutions, international partners, and the private sector to strengthen Ghana’s AI and scientific innovation ecosystem.
The Vice Chancelor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, also thanked the stakeholders for partnering the KNUST and GAEC to make the programme a success.
“We are not looking for a closure but a steppingstone to greater achievements. We entreat the embassy to help us continue with the project” she added.
By: CPRC/CCD
