Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT
The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT is Ghana’s first Advanced Information Technology Institute (AITI) and hopes to establish itself as a home for Knowledge Entrepreneurs of West Africa. Established in 2003, through a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the Government of India, the state-of-the-art facility works to stimulate the growth of the ICT Sector in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and provides an enabling environment for innovation, teaching and learning as well as practical research on the application of ICT4D in Africa.
The Centre also houses West Africa's first supercomputer. The meeting and lecture rooms as well as the 802.11 wireless network guarantee that the AITI can host close to 1000 people at any given time.
Brief History
Ghana, an emerging economy with a rapidly expanding need for technology partnered with India, a nation that is recognized as a pacesetter in the global knowledge economy to bridge the digital divide in Ghana and accelerate development.
In August 2002, H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, President of Ghana, went to India on a four-day state visit, in search of business partners to invest and undertake joint ventures in Ghana. During that visit, the two Governments came to a historic bilateral agreement, to facilitate cooperation in the area of ICT. From there The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI-KACE) was born.
India provided computer hardware, software and other communication equipment as well as training for instructors and curriculum. Ghana provided the infrastructure as well as administrative and technical staff.
AITI-KACE was launched on 9 December 2003 by the President John Agyekum Kufuor and with the Prime Minister of India participating. The centre's name reflects the partnership between Ghana and India as well as the contribution and support of Kofi Annan (UN Secretary General) for the use of ICT to bring about accelerated development. The AITI is not formally affiliated to the UN.
Activities and initiatives
The Centre works with other institutions located in six continents, Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, Europe and the United States. A public sector institution run on private sector lines with a strong emphasis on social development, AITI-KACE aims to represent the best in modern service delivery models.
Mission statement
At AITI it is their mission to employ a world class Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facility and to be the Centre of Excellence in ICT for West Africa.
- For market oriented training of ICT professionals.
- To develop and apply research and innovative technologies for socio-economic development for West Africa
- To catalyse the growth of the ICT sector in ECOWAS in collaboration with our partners
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Coordinates: 5°33′34.5″N 0°11′31.4″W / 5.559583°N 0.192056°W