UPSA targets 30% local production of laptop components in three years

The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) aims to produce approximately 30 percent of the components utilized in assembling its laptops locally within a span of three years. This announcement was made by Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, the institution's Vice-Chancellor, during the inauguration of the university's inaugural Laptop Assembly Plant in Accra.

The venture is a key component of UPSA's comprehensive digital transformation initiative, which seeks to commercialize knowledge, bolster local manufacturing capabilities, and generate prospects for young individuals within the technology value chain. The assembly plant was established in partnership with Mind Dey Talent and IT Solutions Limited, a Chinese technical collaborator.

Prof. Mawutor outlined that the facility would offer students practical experience in laptop assembly, repairs, and other technology-related tasks, while simultaneously establishing a groundwork for local manufacturing prowess. He emphasized that this initiative would narrow the divide between academic instruction and hands-on industry expertise, while simultaneously endowing students with the necessary technical skills to assemble, maintain, and eventually innovate technological products locally.

In the long run, Prof. Mawutor predicted that the plant could augment the nation's workforce, foster entrepreneurship, and contribute to Ghana's digital transformation and Government's goal of a 24-hour economy by integrating education with production and industry. He stressed that sustained cooperation among government, universities, and industry would be crucial in realizing the initiative's complete potential.

The Vice-Chancellor solicited support from public entities, businesses, and financial partners to aid UPSA in skills development, technical collaboration, and the adoption of locally manufactured devices that meet the requisite quality and performance benchmarks. He suggested that such alliances would fortify the plant's operations and pave a route from student training to employment and entrepreneurship.

He further encouraged students to seize the facility's offerings and approach the hands-on training opportunities with curiosity, discipline, and an eagerness to learn.

Dr Harry Lawson Kwaku Agbanu, Chairman of the UPSA Governing Council, urged the plant's administration to operate it as a thriving enterprise centered on quality, affordability, and customer satisfaction. He suggested that the plant's enduring success would hinge on its capacity to meet market demands while delivering practical training opportunities for students.

Mr Jimmy Wilson Owusu, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Mind Dey Talent and IT Solutions Limited, revealed that his experiences studying and working in China had acquainted him with technology markets, factories, and manufacturing hubs, where young individuals utilized practical skills to construct, repair, and enhance technological products and establish businesses.

These encounters, he said, had motivated him to seek ways of providing similar opportunities for young people in Ghana.