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Six hundred and fifty students from various tertiaries participate in DevFest
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
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
