Tema-Ghana, May 11, CDA Consult – Dr Chris Kpodar, Chairman and CEO of Solomon Investments Ghana Limited, has stated that the introduction of Artificial Intelligence has become necessary in all spheres of life and is gradually becoming the future, and that Ghana and other third-world countries must join the technological drive through strategic policies.
He urged Ghana and Africa as a whole to take artificial intelligence more seriously and to apply some of these services in agricultural, energy, educational, and all other essential areas that would tilt the scales in favour of attaining a sustainable world.
He argued that artificial intelligence is a multi-disciplinary science centred on social, political, environmental, and, most importantly, economic grounds, as the latter is the lifeblood of every country’s progress.
Dr. Kpodar, Consultant for Africa and the Middle East, stated at the Ghana News Agency Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform in Tema, advised governments and businesses on investment while speaking on the topic “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development.”
The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank forum for state and non-state, commercial and business operators in Tema to communicate with the rest of the world and solve global challenges.
Dr. Kpodar, a former UN official, encouraged young people to study about and keep up with emerging trends in artificial intelligence, as well as the benefits and ramifications for industry.
“Everyone who wants to be relevant in this age needs to know and apply artificial intelligence; therefore, I have always advocated that no education should take place without practical training,” he stated.
Dr. Kpodar, who is also a Chief Technical Advisor for the Centre for Greater Impact Africa (CGIA), emphasised that if embraced and deployed properly, artificial intelligence alone can make the world food-secure and poverty-free.
He explained that artificial intelligence may be utilised for a variety of purposes, including determining rain patterns that are advantageous for planting and harvesting seasons, resulting in a more sustainable way of producing and storing food throughout the year.
Contributing to the discussion, the Reverend Dr. Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, Executive Director of the Centre for Greater Impact Africa (CGIA), has stated that the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has created a market of 1.2 billion people across the continent for Ghanaians.
He said it has also open up an unlimited opportunity for the country’s socioeconomic prosperity.
Rev. Dr. Mensah said the agreement will increase Africa’s exports by $560 billion, primarily in manufacturing.
Rev. Dr. Mensah urged the private sector to capitalise on the agreement by growing production in both the industrial and agricultural sectors, while also leading the country’s socioeconomic transition.
According to him, the AfCFTA provides an exceptional chance for Ghanaians to scale up their activities and grow into the African market.
“The AfCFTA provides a structure for Ghana’s foreign traders, producers, and value chain stakeholders to understand its existence in the country and successfully trade with their fellow partners in Africa or even the world at large,” he said.
Dr. Mensah, an economist, stated that the agreement aims to reduce all trade costs and allow Africa to integrate further into global chains, adding that “AfCFTA will eliminate 90 percent of tariffs, focus on outstanding non-tariff barriers, and create a single market with free movement of goods and services.”
He stated that AfCFTA will position the Ghanaian economy as an industrial and aviation hub, and that every major bank will have a branch in the nation to offer more chances.
The Executive Director of the Governance Think-Tank said that intracontinental exports would expand by 81 percent, while exports to non-African countries would increase by 19 percent.
