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Youth without Tech backgrounds must embrace AI — AI Consultant
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A TV presenter, AI Consultant and Trainer, Ms Akua Barden, has urged young people without formal backgrounds in technology to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and learn how to use it to improve their productivity.
She said AI was not the preserve of technology professionals and that people from different backgrounds could use the technology to improve their work and create new opportunities.
Ms Barden made the call in an interview on the second day of the Beyond AI Workshop, dubbed “Nyansa Futures 2026”, held at the Academic City University, Haatso, Accra.
The workshop was held on the theme: “From Adoption to Ownership, Shaping Africa’s AI Future.”
Ms Barden said she became interested in AI after becoming curious about the rapid pace at which technology was transforming the world.
She said although she was not a professional technology expert, she decided to learn about AI after encountering the technology and recognising its potential.
According to her, the early versions of some AI tools produced poor images and inaccurate responses, but she remained interested because she believed the technology represented an important part of the future.
She said her continued learning and use of AI had changed her perception of what the technology could achieve.
Ms Barden said AI could help individuals reduce their workloads, improve efficiency and accomplish more within shorter periods.
She said people who learned how to use AI effectively could gain a significant advantage in their respective fields.
“I’m not a tech person. I’m just a media girl who reads, goes on TV and does what I have to do on radio. But now I use AI and I teach people how to use it because I know the benefits of using AI,” she said.
She said AI had the potential to make work systems smoother and help people produce more value in less time.
According to her, AI could also help individuals develop their ideas quickly by assisting them in moving from the conceptual stage to implementation.
Ms Barden encouraged young people to stop allowing the absence of technical qualifications to prevent them from exploring AI.
She said her own experience showed that people did not necessarily need to attend an IT school before learning how to use AI.
She therefore urged young people from the media, business, creative industries and other sectors to identify AI tools that could improve their work and deliberately learn how to use them.
Ms Barden said one of the most important lessons from the growth of AI was that the technology could be useful to almost everyone, regardless of their profession.
She encouraged young people to attend workshops, engage with AI communities and continuously experiment with the technology.
She said learning AI should not be viewed as something exclusively for computer scientists or software developers.
Rather, she said, the technology should be seen as a productivity tool that could complement existing skills.
She therefore called for greater awareness and practical training to ensure that young people were not left behind in the rapidly changing digital environment. –ICNghana.com
News
President Mahama urges new Supreme Court Justices to uphold Constitution and judicial independence
President John Dramani Mahama has urged three newly sworn-in Justices of the Supreme Court to uphold the Constitution and administer justice without fear or favour.
He said the authority of the Supreme Court depended on the confidence and trust of the Ghanaian people and, therefore, the new Justices must protect the rights of citizens and ensure that no individual or institution was above the law.
President Mahama made the call at the Presidency in Accra during the swearing-in ceremony of, Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Justice Anthony Forson Jr. as Justices of the Supreme Court.
Congratulating the three on their appointments, he said their new positions came with a major responsibility to strengthen Ghana’s constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
“The oath you have taken today is consequential, not ceremonial. It is a solemn covenant with the people of Ghana,” President Mahama stated.
He said Supreme Court Justices needed more than legal knowledge, noting that they must also demonstrate sound judgement, integrity, courage, patience and a strong commitment to justice.
President Mahama urged the new Justices to remain independent when handling cases involving strong public emotions or political interests.
He advised them not to be influenced by pressure, praise or criticism, but to allow the quality of their reasoning, fairness and loyalty to the Constitution to define their legacy.
The President called on the judiciary to continue with reforms aimed at improving the delivery of justice.
He said prolonged cases, unnecessary adjournments and delays in delivering judgments created hardship for ordinary citizens and could undermine public confidence in the justice system.
President Mahama, therefore, urged the judiciary to embrace appropriate technology and improve the accessibility and efficiency of the courts.
He called for Supreme Court judgments to be written in clear language to provide reliable guidance to lower courts, public institutions, lawyers and citizens.
President Mahama described Justice Bernasko Essah as an experienced judicial officer whose service at the Court of Appeal would bring valuable experience to the Supreme Court.
He noted that Justice Asante brought both national and regional judicial experience, having served on the Court of Appeal and as a former President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
According to him, Justice Asante’s experience in regional integration, human rights and international law would enrich the work of the Supreme Court.
On Justice Forson, President Mahama said his decades of experience in private legal practice and his former leadership of the Ghana Bar Association would bring an important perspective to the Court.
He said his experience of representing citizens, businesses and institutions before the courts could help the Supreme Court better understand how legal decisions affect ordinary people.
Speaking on behalf of the three Justices, Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah expressed gratitude to President Mahama for the confidence reposed in them.
She pledged that the three would hear cases fairly, decide according to the law, act with courage and integrity, and remain faithful to the Constitution and the oaths they had sworn.
The three Justices were administered the Oath of Allegiance, Judicial Oath and Oath of Secrecy by President Mahama before receiving their warrants of appointment.
By: Jacob Aggrey
When international journalist Enoch Worlanyo first described Alpine, Texas, as “The Eden of the Far West,” he meant it as a love letter. This week, that love letter was returned.
Alpine Mayor Catherine Eaves recently referenced Worlanyo’s feature story in her own vision for the high-desert town — a gesture that has sparked a transatlantic moment of pride from the heart of West Africa to the heart of Far West Texas.
Nestled 4,475 feet above sea level in the Big Bend, Alpine is no ordinary small town. It is the gateway to Big Bend National Park, the cultural capital of the Davis Mountains, and critically — the beating heart of the world’s largest Gold Tier International Dark Sky Reserve. Here, the Milky Way doesn’t just appear. It blazes.
Worlanyo, reporting from Accra, has been following Alpine’s evolution closely — its preservation of dark skies, its downtown renaissance, and its unique cast of community builders, including Denver-based pitmaster and former Alpine favourite Annie Yayra Hiamey of Desert Delight.
WHY THE WORLD IS LOOKING WEST:
The Dark Sky Sanctuary: In an era of light pollution, Alpine offers something vanishingly rare — crystalline, protected night skies where thousands of stars, planets and the river of the Milky Way are visible to the naked eye. A true pilgrimage for astro-tourists.
Heritage Meets Hospitality: Beyond the skies, it’s the people. A historic downtown, thriving arts scene, and genuine West Texas warmth that makes strangers feel like neighbours.
The Ultimate Basecamp: From Marfa’s mystery lights to the trails of Big Bend and the peaks of the Davis Mountains, Alpine is the centre of it all.
A message of gratitude from Accra
Reflecting on Mayor Eaves’ acknowledgement, Worlanyo said:
“Seeing Mayor Eaves reference my description of Alpine as ‘The Eden of the Far West’ brought a wave of warmth straight from Texas to Accra. I am deeply honoured and humbled — thank you, Madam Mayor, for that thoughtful nod.
“My work may be based in Accra, Ghana, but a piece of my heart never left Alpine. I follow every story, every milestone, every starry night you share. Distance has not faded the connection.
“There is a pure, untamed magic to Alpine that you cannot find anywhere else on Earth. By day, endless horizons that cleanse the soul. By night, a sky so alive it feels like you can touch eternity. It is truly a sanctuary.
“So this is my invitation to every traveller, dreamer, and stargazer reading this: Pack your bags and head west. Come experience the warmth, stand under a sky ablaze with stars, and discover for yourself why Alpine steals every heart that finds it.”
About Enoch Worlanyo
Enoch Worlanyo is an Accra-based international broadcast journalist, Head of Sports at Asempa FM, Adom FM, and Adom TV, covering sports, cultural heritage, environmental conservation, and global tourism.
His work bridges continents, telling African stories to the world and bringing the world’s hidden Edens back home.
CAPTION
Enoch Worlanyo
