The Conference of Heads of Computer Science Departments of Universities in Ghana, a newly formed association of Heads of Computer Science Departments of public and private universities, has held their maiden meeting here in Legon. The meeting brought together of representatives of 10 public and private universities, to discuss Computer Science education and research in Ghana.
The Conference noted the crucial role that Computer Science, Information Technology, and allied disciplines play in shaping today’s information and knowledge economies worldwide. In particular the meeting hailed the contribution of Computing, Information Technology, and Telecommunications to the GDP of emerging economies such as India, Ireland, Israel, and South Korea.
The Association called for harnessing the full potential of Computer Science and its related disciplines and their convergence with other disciplines such as Bio-Informatics, Nano-Technology, Geo-Informatics, Agricultural Informatics, and Environmental Informatics, for accelerated national development.
To harmonize and enhance the teaching of Computer Science and related disciplines throughout tertiary institutions, the Conference resolved to work in partnership with the National Accreditation Board, the National Council for Tertiary Education, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors-Ghana, the Information Technology Association of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Engineers, and the Ghana Standards Authority, to adopt common specifications and curricula.
The Conference also decided to engage the Ministry of Education in discussions aimed at synchronizing the Computing and Information Technology curricula at the basic and high school levels with the curricula at the tertiary levels as well as formulating policies on the training and accreditation of teachers for the basic and high school levels of the educational system.
The Conference stated its determination to establish a National Centre for Computing and Information Technology Research for post-graduate study and research, and engage in discussions with the Ministry of Communications and the National Information Technology Agency for the establishment of a National Cloud Computing Infrastructure riding on the GARNet and National Data Centre Infrastructure.
Further, the association resolved to promote Computer Science, Information Technology, and allied disciplines through workshops, open days, and other activities that would engage the general public.
Among the representatives of institutions at the Meeting were: Dr. F. A. Katsriku, Head of the Computer Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr. Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, Director and Chief Information Technology Officer, University of Professional Studies, Accra, Dr. Edward Danso Ansong, Head of Information Technology and Director of Research, Valley View University, and Dr. James Ben Hayfron-Acquah, Head of Computer Science Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
