A science and technology-based laboratory has been established for free accessibility to students in basic and senior high schools in the Ashanti region to promote STEM education in the younger generation.

The laboratory commissioned at the Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development offers an avenue for students to demonstrate their creativity, ingenuity, and problem-solving skills.

The University, in partnership with STEMpower Incorporated, an international non-profit organization with offices in the U.S., Ethiopia, and other African countries, set up the project to ignite interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math education to drive economic growth.

nown as the Computer and Electronics laboratory, the establishment has facilities that allow students to conduct real-time simulations and develop them into prototypes.

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Isaac Boateng, highlighted the crucial role of technology in driving development in the country.
He emphasized the potentials of science and technology in addressing employment challenges as the project inspires entrepreneurship.

“The AAMUSTED RIL with some state-of-the-art equipment provides a fertile ground to energize our TVET/STEM Education. By incorporating robotics into our TVET/STEM education, we are preparing our students to gain a competitive edge in the job market, develop essential skills, and prepare for the technologies that are shaping our future,” he said.

The project will also complement the government's efforts in establishing more STEM centres across the country in creating a pool of human resources that would revolutionize the sectors of the economy.

“The President cut the sod to commence the construction of the Accra STEM Academy and started the establishment of 20 STEM centres across the country and began piloting 10 STEM Model Senior High Schools in Ghana. With our RIL up and running and our electricals and electronics programme and its equipped laboratories high-flying, AAMUSTED will come in handy for all the trainees and graduates from these STEM programmes once they decide to pursue those programmes at the tertiary level,” he said.

The project is in line with the visions of the university to produce world-class human resources well-equipped with technical and vocational education and training.

Hundreds of high schoolers within the university’s catchment and in the Ashanti region are expected to use the facility in developing technologies that address societal problems.

“A number of public basic schools do not have computer labs. We are opening to both public basic and senior high schools. The lab can take 30 students at a time. We are ready to hone their skills for societal growth,” Ingr. Dr. Albert Awopone, head of the centre for artisanals skills training and development at the university said.

Establishing its 1st STEM Center in Ethiopia in 2010 by its predecessor, Gelfand Family Charitable Trust (GFCT), STEMpower fosters hands-on STEM education that emphasizes creativity and skill-building, empowering the youth to proffer local solutions to societal problems.

*STEMpower so far boasts 125 STEM Centers across Sub-Sahara Africa with a plan of establishing 50 more STEM Centers and reach 175 by the end of 2025.

The new lab at the university is the 125th newly built and the first in Ghana.

IT engineer at STEMpower, Yohannes Bogale Fentie, reiterated the organization’s commitment to making STEM education a reality for every student in the sub-region.

“STEM education is essential for building more prosperous and sustainable futures. STEM skills are in high demand for the global economy. They are essential for developing new technologies to the challenges facing the continent,” he said.