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Six hundred and fifty students from various tertiaries participate in DevFest
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About 650 students from the various tertiary universities have participated in a Developers Festival(DevFest), to connect locally, learn and build Google tools to generate social and economic impact.
The annual event was organised by Accra chapter of the Google Developers Group (GDG), and partnered with the Accra Technical University (ATU) Library.
It brought together students from the ATU, University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, Methodist University Colledge, Jayee University Colledge, and Koforidua Technical University among others.
The University Librarian for ATU, Dr Florence Plockey, in an interviewed with the Spectatoronline last week Saturday in Accra, said, the events were to allow the students to equip themselves with ICT skills through the supervision of industry giants.
She noted that participants were students pursuing various programmes in the university, and that the events were not only necessarily targeting students studying ICT programmes at the tertiary levels.
Dr Plockey explained that the events was to allow participants to connect locally, learn, and build Google tools to generate social and economic impact, as most students lack the opportunity to use ICT to develop their careers and generate income.
She said this was the fourth in a series of tech events the library had hosted, adding that “we are excited because we believe we can use this platform to shop for new technologies.
She indicated for instance that, the library was using a platform that allowed for student-supervisor interaction in a manner that students’ project works were uploaded, without the library having to do the uploads individually for the over 5,000 final-year students they had.
Dr Plockey said, she believes students could use this opportunity to shop for new technologies that would help them in their various programmes, stressing that,
“We would like to see innovative technologies emerge, following this event, that are tailored towards the library’s activities”
She, however, called on the government to revamp the various community libraries with ICT tools to encourage to students learn and read wide, since most students could not afford some books but had to depend on these libraries for their research work.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of ATU, Professor Amevi Acakpovi, said, partnering to host the event was to allow students to tap into the benefits of developing Google tools and making money out of them.
“ATU has recognized the potential benefit that this programme holds for the youth in building capacity, especially for “techpreneurship”.
As an academic institution and the premier technical university, whose mandate is to develop middle to top-level manpower in the engineering, science, and technology-based disciplines, we are very much interested in such events, which we believe can be useful to our students and open networking opportunities for them” he said.
Professor Acakpovi called for a stronger alliance with GDG to hone the practical skills of the University’s computer science and engineering students to position them well for the job market.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
