‘Kumasi Hive’ launches virtual learning platform to empower youth

‘Kumasi Hive’, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) training the Ghanaian youth in technical, entrepreneurial and digital skills, has advised the citizenry to embrace online learning.

Mrs. Adelaide Asante, the Board Chair, said the world was going digital, and in effect limiting the physical barriers in doing business and the time spent in most fields of human endeavour.

Therefore, those who intended to make the most out of the changing trends in the society, especially students and academic institutions must be abreast of the advances in information and communications technology, she stressed.

Mrs. Asante was speaking at the launch via zoom of a virtual online learning platform dubbed the ‘Hive Academy’, a brainchild of ‘Kumasi Hive’.

The online learning platform (web and mobile applications), according to the authorities, sought to extend and also create access to the already existing training infrastructure and services of ‘Kumasi Hive’.

The initiative aims to foster self-paced learning and eventually serve as the go-to repository for online courses in Ghana.

It is also meant to provide local creators with a platform for hosting and managing their training courses.

A concept note underpinning the online learning platform said the world was gradually moving from a “distant community” to a globalized and digital community.

It said with time, people were no more interested in in-person training or classes due to their schedules and the nature of their work.

“They would want to kill two birds with one stone irrespective of their location, and the ‘Hive Academy’ seeks to do that,” the authorities emphasized.

Mrs. Asante explained that with the extension of the training programs offered at ‘Kumasi Hive’, people from all walks of life would now be able to benefit from the training online from the comfort of their homes in a self-paced way.

The launch was on the theme; “Why Ghana should Embrace Local Online Learning Platforms using the Hive Academy as an Example”.

In contributing to the programme via zoom, a panel of experts discussed the theme with focus on the changing trends in the educational system and impact of virtual online learning.

They included Mr. Chirag Shamdasani of the Mastercard Foundation, who espoused the contribution of online learning to the socio- economic growth of the world.

Ms. Gertrude Goh, Operations Associate, ‘Kumasi Hive’, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sidelines of the programme, said the virtual online learning platform had come to stay.

The initiative, she said, represented a great opportunity for the Ghanaian youth to be well-equipped with the relevant skills needed to make headway in the business world.

‘Kumasi Hive’ has been a tech hub since 2015, with the mission of creating equal opportunities for the youth by providing relevant training in emerging technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D modelling and printing, web development and digital fabrication.

It also gives trainees the platform for rapid prototyping of ideas, while supporting entrepreneurship through business incubation and acceleration programs run for Small and Medium-scale Enterprises.