Promoting STEAM Education in Ghana with a focus on the Volta Region, Genius IT has carved a special program called the Junior Brains University (JBU) to expose children to early age STEAM Education.
The Junior Brains University Project piloted saw about 20 young Junior High Schools Graduates participate and benefit from this great educative program, which placed them several steps ahead of their colleagues in the use of Design tools and introduction to web development.
This program saw a good number of parents enroll their children who just completed Junior High School in October 2021, helping them learn the fundamentals of Design and explore the web technology space.
These children through the JBU STEAM program have been taken through very important skills in Communication, Goal setting, Leadership, Time Management, Business Modeling, and others. As part of their training, they had the opportunity to go on tours to the Ho Technical University where they had interactive sessions with the students and lecturers of the Computer Science and Electrical/Electronic Departments respectively.
This allowed them have good information on what is happening out there in the technology world and what it will take to become successful in these fields of endeavor.
In attendance at the graduation were the parents of these children, the Municipal National Youth Authority Director in the person of Mr. Charles Gomenu, and the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ho Municipal Assembly, Hon. Divine K. Bosson.
SPEECH BY THE MCE
In a brief speech delivered by the MCE, he stated the importance of parents allowing their children participate in some of these training programs. These he said will help build their capacity and expose them early to the enormous opportunities that exist out there.
He commended Genius IT Foundation for initiating this project which will go a long way to build the human capacity base of the people of the Volta Region. He stated that everything now is about using technology and the early we introduce ourselves and our children to it, the better.
SPEECH BY THE MUNICIPAL NYA DIRECTOR
The Municipal NYA Director, Mr. Charles Gomenu who was also present had the opportunity and commended Genius IT Foundation for the commitment to Youth Development in the Volta Region. He spoke about the foundation’s alignment with the National Youth authority as one that is in good standing, well-monitored and doing well to align its activities to the rules and regulations governing delivering quality skills trainings to young people in Ghana.
He encouraged parents to take advantage of the opportunities now and also learn to use basic digital tools to increase their productivity. He stated that many of them in offices today were born before the computer and even though that is the case, institutions like Genius IT Foundation have brought to the doorstep of every parent the opportunity to also learn and become abreast with current technology.
Even though the program was about our children graduating, he used this opportunity to encourage parents in this regard, admonishing them to continue empowering their children to learn and acquire these very important Digital, Entrepreneurial, and Leadership skills.
SPEECH BY THE EXECTIVE DIRECTOR OF GENIUS IT FOUNDATION
The Executive Director of Genius IT Foundation Mr. Desmond Kitsi during his opening speech spoke extensively, raising concern on the alarming state of Digital Skills Training in the Volta Region. According to him, the Tech Ecosystem in the Volta Region is not vibrant and this is affecting the economic activities of the Region.
He drew attention to evidence by asking the question “How many Businesses in the Volta Region are represented online on e-commerce platforms? Several e-commerce startups and companies came to the Region to initiate projects that will project the businesses in the Region but received massive resistance due to the massive level of ignorance when it comes to knowing about the digital space and its potential as well as benefits.”
He further suggested a brilliant solution to this problem as the Volta Region seems to be isolated from the world regarding all the digital transformation agenda that is going on globally. If the Region lacks big successful companies, then it means companies don’t see any potential in the region for which they will have to move in.
He stated that one of the fastest ways to create a fortune for the Region is to begin to deliberately focus and invest in Digital and Technological skills development among the young people of the Volta Region.
To reduce the unemployment rate in the region is to encourage young people to tap into the resources that exist in the Digital Space. The one solution to making the Region highly sort after is to build a resilient digital and technology ecosystem to replace the unavailability of companies and big businesses that may have the capacity to turn the fortune of the region around.
when young people of the Region are encouraged and sponsored to acquire high-quality tech and digital skills, it will drastically reduce the unemployment rate thereby improving the lives of the young people in the region.
Mr. Desmond Kitsi also spoke about the vision of Genius IT Foundation, a tech-based foundation pioneering solutions to Ghana’s need for morally audacious young leaders who are capable of leading themselves and leading others to a successful end.
He said the foundation is focusing on empowering children with early-age skills training in the digital space stressing that, it takes years to acquire a professional skill and be very good at a course. This is the reason why the foundation started the Junior Brains University Program to systematically introduce children to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics education early enough to help them become very strong in their skill base and be able to compete in the global market, creating and producing technology that will serve and solve Ghana and Africa’s most challenging problems.
