The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Professor Lydia Aziato, has appealed to the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations for additional laptops, saying the 200 devices donated to the university will serve a student population of approximately 11,000.
The laptops were presented by Communications Minister Hon. Samuel Nartey George and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) during the minister’s working visit to the university in the Volta Region.
Professor Lydia Aziato expressed appreciation for the donation but noted that the number of devices was relatively small compared with the university’s student population and the growing need for digital training.
“And therefore we want to ask the Honourable Minister that 11,000 students and 200 pieces of laptops – I think that Honourable Minister, you can add a little more for us!” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor explained that the laptops would support the university’s participation in the government’s One Million Coders Programme, which offers training in areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, coding and digital productivity.
She said the university was exploring ways to integrate relevant courses into its curriculum to ensure students acquired practical technology skills alongside their healthcare education.
Responding to the appeal, Mr George acknowledged that 200 laptops were a small allocation for a university with such a large student population.
However, he said the devices were intended to serve as an initial investment, with further support dependent on evidence of effective use and student participation.
He explained that the ministry had increased laptop allocations to some other universities after monitoring their initial distributions and observing strong utilisation.
“These laptops are state resources; it’s government money we use to buy them, and so we don’t just want to put them there and let them become white elephants,” he said.
The minister encouraged UHAS to ensure the laptops were used effectively and to demonstrate demand for additional devices through student enrolment and participation in the programme.
He added that the ministry could consider augmenting the allocation, potentially before the end of the year, if the university demonstrated sufficient uptake.
The donation is part of the government’s wider effort to provide digital skills training opportunities and improve students’ readiness for the world of work.
