The Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) has made history by inaugurating the country’s first robotic centre, courtesy of a partnership with Ethiopian-based engineering firm, STEMpower Incorporated. The state-of-the-art Robotic and Innovation Laboratory (RIL) is valued at $20,000 and is strategically located to benefit tertiary students, as well as those from neighboring basic and senior schools in Kumasi.

AAMUSTED is the first institution in Ghana to benefit from STEMpower’s initiative to train 334,900 students in sub-Saharan Africa annually in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The inaugural batch of 30 students has already been enrolled in the program.

At the laboratory’s inauguration, Vice-Chancellor Professor Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, represented by Pro VC Professor Isaac Boateng, expressed gratitude to STEMpower for their equipment and expertise. He emphasized the significance of incorporating robotics into TVET/STEM education, preparing students for the job market, and developing essential skills for the future.

The laboratory aims to equip students with robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) competencies to engineer practical solutions to national problems. AAMUSTED plans to collaborate with STEM model SHSs to boost training at the secondary level, positioning the university as a crucial step for STEM education in Ghana.

The event was attended by Dr. Albert Awopone, Head of CCASTD, and engineers Yohannes Bogale Fentie and Eyob Aychew Teferra from STEMpower Incorporated.