Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, the first ever African appointed Rector of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), delivered the fifth Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong’s Lecture under the “Nature Speaks” lecture series, which coincided with UG Vice-Chancellor’s Occasional Lecture Series.
The lecture, under the theme, "Artificial Intelligence and Economic Growth", was held at the Great Hall and organised by UNU-INRA in collaboration with the University.
A cross-section of participants at the Lecture
During the lecture, Professor Marwala shed light on the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for economic development, particularly in Africa.
He stated, “Artificial Intelligence has the power to revolutionise economic growth in Africa. By harnessing the capabilities of AI, we can drive innovation, enhance productivity, and create new opportunities for sustainable development.”
“It is crucial that we embrace this technology and its potential to transform various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and finance," he added.
Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector, UNU-INRA
Commenting on the need for a strong collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers in the deployment of Artificial Intelligence, Prof. Marwala emphasised that “collaboration is essential to shape a future where AI becomes a powerful tool for inclusive and equitable economic growth in Africa.”
He, however, raised several ethical concerns and emerging challenges posed by AI. These concerns include privacy and surveillance, bias and discrimination, the role of human judgment, the distribution of harmful content, copyright, and legal exposure, data privacy violations, sensitive information disclosure, amplification of existing bias, workforce roles and morale, and the lack of explainability and interpretability.
“It is important to address the ethical implications and emerging challenges associated with AI. Privacy, bias, and the responsible use of data are critical concerns that must be carefully navigated. We need to ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a manner that respects human rights, promotes fairness, and addresses the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders,” the UNU-NRA Rector proposed.
Prof. Marwala stressed the importance of addressing these issues to ensure the responsible and ethical development and deployment of AI technologies and underscored the need for proactive measures and collaboration between stakeholders to navigate these challenges and to ensure that AI benefits society while safeguarding fundamental rights and values.
In her remarks, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor, and Chairperson of the lecture, expressed the excitement of the University to co-host this lecture with the United Nations University’s Institute of Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA).
Emphasising the timeliness of discussing AI's potential as a game-changer for Africa's development, Prof. Amfo said, “In light of rapid evolution within the technology space, this lecture is considered very timely to keep us abreast with the changing times and, more importantly, how these technologies, particularly AI can be employed as a game-changer for Africa’s development.”
UG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
She reaffirmed the University's commitment to staying relevant through research and teaching while promoting collaborations that address national and global concerns.
“The University of Ghana, which has a mission of remaining relevant to national and global development through cutting edge research as well as high-quality teaching and learning, will continue to promote these collaborations which contribute to advocacy on pertinent issues of national development and global concern,” the Vice-Chancellor intimated.
The lecture also included reflections from Dr. Hilda Opoku, a Former Advisor on SDGs, to the Minister of Finance, who was a discussant. Dr. Opoku provided insightful perspectives on the intersection of AI and sustainable development goals. She enriched the discourse with her expertise and experience as a Faculty at the Department of Computer Science that deals with AI and Machine Learning at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The lecture, which was part of a series of events that places natural resources at the centre of Africa’s sustainable and inclusive development as a catalyst for social transformation and shared prosperity, was moderated by Prof. Christopher Gordon, former Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies and a Board Member of UNU-INRA.
A cross-section of guests at the Lecture
Distinguished individuals present at the lecture included Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, the Registrar of UG; H.E. Daniel Krull, the German Ambassador to Ghana; Dr. Yemi Katerere, a Board Member of UNU-INRA; and Dr. Fatima Denton, the Director of UNU-INRA. The gathering also consisted of prominent figures such as Deans and Directors, Faculty, Staff, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Representatives from Development Agencies, and a select group of students from selected schools.
The Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong lectures was instituted to immortalise the legacies and contributions of the first Ghanaian Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and the first African Vice-Rector of the United Nations University.
The high-level lecture series provides the platform for fostering independent thought on critical issues pertaining to nature and challenges conventional wisdom and narratives with the aim of discovering innovative ideas and more robust solutions. Over the years, the lecture has attracted a number of influential decision-makers, stakeholders, policy influencers, the diplomatic community, civil society, private and public sectors, development agencies, and medial representatives with an interest in natural resources and related sectors.
