Dr Thomas Mensah launches Silicon Valley of Ghana
A Ghanaian-American fibre optics inventor, Dr Thomas Mensah on Monday launched the Silicon Valley of Ghana at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) in Accra as part of efforts to bridge the technology gap in the country.
The Silicon Valley of Ghana is under the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
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Speaking at the launch, Dr Mensah said the Silicon Valley of Ghana will create business accelerators and incubators that can compete with tech-companies around the world, move Ghana into the 21st Century technological advancement and also support the high Speed Bullet Train that is being developed in Ghana.
The occasion was also used to announce the members of the board of advisors to the Silicon Valley of Ghana.
Dr Mensah, the founder and chairman of the Silicon Valley of Ghana said the board members include Dr. Victor Lawrence (Stevens University); Dr. Michael Ansah (VP Dell UK); Dr. Isaiah Blankson (Hypersonic Expert, NASA); Prof. Obiri Danso (Vice chancellor KNUST); Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye (Vice Chancellor UDS); Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, (Vice Chancellor UCC); Dr. Frimpong Boateng (Minister Science and Innovation), and Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng (Minister Trade and Industry).
Others are Mrs Cecilia Dapaah (Minister for Aviation); Mr. Osafo Marfo (Senior Minister); Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful (Minister for Communications); Fernando Hernandez (Microsoft); Robert Bobby Satcher (Astronaut), and Mr. Kwasi Adu-Gyan, Director General of GI-KACE.
Dr Mensah said membership of the board included Ghanaian expatriates in the diaspora who are desirous in the technological advancement of the development of Ghana.
He said the GI-KACE was chosen as the venue for the launch because 'it is packed with the brainpower to support the Silicon Valley of Ghana in bridging the technology gap of the country' he said.
The renowned inventor indicated that GI-KACE will be the pivot around which the Silicon Valley of Ghana will revolve, and serves as the link for both the universities and research institutions in Ghana with industrial corporations, advanced research centres' and other “Tech giants”.
The innovation and competency centres which will link up with the GI-KACE, according to Dr Mensah, included the University of Ghana, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Development Studies and the University of Cape Coast.
Dr Mensah said the innovation and competency centres' will work with industries and academia to create ICT products and services in Ghana.
The venture, he said, would also include the development of telemedicine platform for Ghana whereby physicians from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Cape Coast University hospital will use broadband technology to connect with doctors in Universities in the USA such as John Hopkins and Universities in England and Germany to look at complex medical diagnostics.
He pledged his readiness to working hand-in-hand with GI-KACE to manufacture products and services essential in driving internet of things such as drones, smart phones, as well as telemedicine and transportation.
According to him, the Silicon Valley of Ghana will create business accelerators and incubators that can compete with tech-companies around the world, move Ghana into the 21st Century technological advancement and also support the high Speed Bullet Train that is being developed in Ghana.
Dr Mensah, who created the Silicon Valley of the South in the USA, said he will use the same methodology with the GI-KACE as the hub to link all the Universities and other higher technological institutions to develop advanced things just like they do in America.