The French Ambassador to Ghana Visits RAIL KNUST

The Ambassador of France to Ghana, Jules-Armand Aniambossou, on his working visit to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), paid a visit to the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) on 9^th November 2023 to witness the research works and explore possible areas of collaboration.

Prof. Jerry John Kponyo, Project Lead, KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP) and PI and Scientific Director, RAIL, introduced KEEP as one of the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACEs) Impact Projects set up by the Government of Ghana and the World Bank to enhance the quality of engineering education, build research laboratories and increase postgraduate engineering education in Ghana.  He said the Responsible AI Lab falls under the digital development theme of the project and provides a space to build capacity in responsible AI.

He added that the lab has postgraduate students and interns conducting quality research in AI in Agriculture, AI in Health, AI in Energy and the ethical use of AI.

“We are committed to developing solutions that add value to humanity and not just conducting research that gathers dust on the shelf,” he said.

Prof. Kponyo mentioned RAIL’s robotics club initiative to Senior High Schools and said this seeks to build their capacity to consider engineering as a career at a young age.

The Ambassador and his team engaged with researchers in the lab working on a Crop Disease Detector Application for indigenous farmers, an AI-powered hearing aid, among other AI solutions.

The Ambassador noted the gender-balanced index in the lab and applauded the RAIL team for the impactful research conducted. “I love engineering and artificial intelligence, and I am happy to see researchers who provide solutions to the many challenges humanity faces.”

The team toured the KNUST College of Engineering Innovation Centre and learned about the startup and innovative projects undertaken.

Both teams agreed to collaborate in possible research areas and build models to solve real-life problems and improve the quality of life.