Dr. Kenneth Ashigbe, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, has said the future is undeniably digital.
He said technology is still moving at an increasingly fast pace, as every facet of life is now linked intrinsically to microchips in one way or another.
Dr. Ashigbe was speaking at the virtual Tech Talk forum organised as part of this year’s Huawei Seed for the Future programme, in Ghana.
The Seed for Future programme is a global flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that gives 50 university students in STEM the opportunity to expand their scope in ICT while advocating for more female participation.
The intensive 5-day experience that was held online introduced students to new technologies, and equipped them with necessary skills to enable them identify and harness new opportunities in ICT while offering them opportunity to meet and connect with top ICT professionals in the tech space.
He said the impact of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) lies in its role as an engine for global digitalisation.
He said without qualified graduates of these specialised subjects, there would be no Internet, automation – and no wonder surrounding fascinating developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
A co-panellist, Mr. Derrydean Dadzie – the Co-Founder of DreamOval Limited and CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Technology, called on the youth to take advantage of the ‘pregnant’ digital era to develop themselves.
“The digital era is pregnant with a lot of opportunities for development,” he said.
He said some of these opportunities are to provide content that meets the consumption cravings of digital citizens; working at their own time and convenience; selling anything online; and acquiring new knowledge for personal development.
He said the digital era has increased integration of business tools, communication and social media interaction, and organisational systems and structures; and it has increased complexity and transparency.
Mr. Dazie said people are becoming more sophisticated in their requests for uniquely gratifying experience, and people are now aware of their rights.
The Co-Founder called on the youth to equip themselves with the right tools and applications; and they should spice-up their lives with socio-digital tools like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Online courses.
“The leveraging on degrees is diminishing,” he said.
Kweku Essuman Quansah, a Deputy Managing Director at Huawei Ghana, also admonished participants to make use of the time they now have on their hands profitably. According to him, they should use the time to learn about things that will equip them for the future.
