African Scholars charged on Providing Solutions to Africa’s Challenges – Professor Uche
African Researchers, Scholars, and Academics have been charged to implement academic curricular, research and innovations that will provide solutions to the challenges facing the African continent.
This was made known Prof. Uwaoma Uche, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Gregory University Uturu, during the occasion of the 7th Convocation ceremony of I-fatoss University, Cotonuo, Republic of Benin.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Uche spoke on the topic: Navigating the African Educational System in the Wake of Global Transformation and Quality Learning: An Artificial Intelligence AI Perspectives.
He described AI as an essential instrument of a technological innovation driven education platform to accelerate the human development.
According to him, “It is not only changing the phase of knowledge in the facets of communication, education, health care, international diplomacy, religion among others”.
He further stressed on the need to orient the concept and use of artificial intelligence particularly in Africa in a responsible way for African solution, adding that it is for the service of humanity.
He moreover said that the speed and reach of the AI technology is unprecedented and called for caution as the AI technology cannot replace the human brain. He also warned against allowing technology to turn humanity as tools in the hand of the AI and another modern tool easily manipulated the heavy database economy of the west economy to strangulate the African and developing or less database economy.
Prof Uche called for collaboration for African countries, institutions, researchers and scholars to leverage on the skills and innovation development already provided the Innovation hub in Abuja, Nigeria owned Gregory University Uturu to train students, academia and scholars adding that it will help to drive the 21st century African innovation.
While calling on governments, supervisory educational agencies in Africa to have the educational mandate of making university education more responsive to the needs of society, Prof. Uche also urged them to commit themselves towards funding education and creating the enabling environment for lecturers, researchers and students to thrive through such funding without discrimination between public and private educational systems.
“We as educational stakeholders should ensure the removal of plenty square pegs in round holes amongst lecturers and students in the tertiary educational systems especially those employed on political, clannish patronage who have no passion and training for education”, he added.
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This lecture is timely. Action plan is required to set it rolling on wheels. Africa must not be left behind again. The Lecturer, Prof Uwaoma Uche has done justice to the topic. Kudos to the the professor