At a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor, the partners involved in the programme explained that majority of the students, despite their academic excellence, lack the essential business skills to promote and market their finished products and to document their work using international standards and procedures. According to them, the introduction of the pre-incubation concept was to help overcome these shortcomings and to ensure a smooth implementation of an incubation process by which students or tenants might have been well trained and informed to take on such challenges.

In a follow up meeting with members from GMIC and UNDP, the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences, Prof. I.K. Dontwi, said that the whole pre-incubation programme will go through five major processes including putting up necessary infrastructure, identifying and selecting tenants, training of tenants and other stakeholders, uploading content, and launching of the programme which will include an exhibition of products by tenants who have already gone through the pre-incubation and incubation processes. He said that they have designed the pre-incubation programme in such a way that after its due course, participants would be able to start their own small enterprises with the right procedures and tools, enroll in the incubation programme at GMIC or any other incubator, and secure ICT-related jobs that provide them with financial stability and professional advancement.

Prof. Dontwi pointed out that the target group for the programme are third and final year students from the College of Science and the College of Engineering. He said that a management committee of about 3-5 members has been set up to ensure the progress and sustainability of the programme.

Mrs. Barbara Gbologah-Quaye, country representative of Citizens Development Corp, under the auspices of IBM Ghana, said that they also intend to add their quota to the development of the programme by providing experts and equipment to facilitate the success of the programme.

The programme which focuses on creative thinking, business training, technical writing, and career awareness will see professionals and experts from industry address key issues and serve as role models.

Source: URO

Mr. Fredrick Ampiah, UNDP Partnership Advisor, said his outfit had over the past three years supported the government in establishing the community information centre project, the Ghana Business Incubator and Business Process out sourcing project and E-Governance Project, all ICT initiatives designed to mitigate the wide social barriers and digital gaps for the attainment of inclusive socio-economic development and other national goals.He said the software would not only provide students with alternative sources of tuition and enhance the learning of science and mathematics, but would also stimulate in students the urge of solving educative puzzles as a preferred alternative after school activities.

Miss Vida Ackom, Chief Executive officer of the company, said the software was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication, the Ghana Multimedia Incubator Centre (GMIC) the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunication (GIFTEL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The software uses animation to demonstrate scientific processes which would make the child to appreciate the subject.

Mr. Solomon Asante Dartey, Project Co-ordinator of GMIC, said the centre sought to promote ICT entrepreneurship development through the incubation of ICT business skills under the government’s “ICT for accelerated development” initiative. The centre aids business start-ups with ICT innovative ideas to mature into viable business ventures,” he stated.

Mr. Robert Quainoo-Arthur, Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, urged teachers of senior high schools in the municipality to patronize the software.

Source: GNA