A stark warning echoes across Ghana’s universities and tech hubs: adapt swiftly or face irrelevance. Computer science graduates, despite holding degrees, increasingly struggle to find jobs as artificial intelligence reshapes employer demands.
Dr. Eugene Frimpong, a data analytics and AI specialist, urges young Ghanaians to aggressively pursue practical skills like generative AI, prompt engineering, and cybersecurity to stay competitive.
“The rapid adoption of AI is fundamentally changing what companies need,” Dr. Frimpong stated bluntly in a recent interview. He identifies a critical disconnect between traditional academic programs and the hands-on expertise now required in AI-driven fields. Formal qualifications alone are no longer enough.
“You don’t need to go to a university to learn AI,” he emphasized. “If you give yourself time and spend your data wisely, you can train yourself.” He pointed to accessible online platforms like W3Schools and YouTube as vital resources for self-directed learning, arguing this path can deliver job-ready skills faster than conventional education.
Dr. Frimpong highlighted several high-growth areas where skills are urgently needed: plant engineering, AI governance and ethics, data annotation, model fine-tuning, regression techniques, and naturally, prompt engineering. He placed particular emphasis on cybersecurity.
“So long as we have an abundance of data, cybersecurity is going to be very important,” he stressed. Simply studying theory isn’t sufficient, he cautioned. Students must actively apply their knowledge to solve real problems, as employers increasingly prioritize adaptability and demonstrable results over mere credentials.
Looking beyond individual upskilling, Dr. Frimpong revealed plans for broader support. He intends to offer free weekly or monthly live sessions, sharing crucial knowledge with a wider audience.
The accelerating pace of AI adoption presents a unique opportunity, he believes. “With AI adoption accelerating, Ghana’s workforce has an opportunity to move from being job seekers to job creators,” Dr. Frimpong asserted. But this shift hinges entirely on investing in the right, practical technological skills right now. Can the nation’s youth pivot fast enough?
Source: newsghana.com.gh
