The Ntikuma Project, a Ghanaian nonprofit organization, has formally handed over 14 new all-in-one desktop computers and a printer to Akim Asafo Presbyterian Basic School in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This marks the completion of the project's first deployment and the opening of the school's first functioning ICT lab. The handover ceremony took place at the school in the Abuakwa South Municipality.
Until the handover, ICT practical lessons at the school were taught on a whiteboard or around one laptop owned by the ICT teacher, with an average class size of 40 pupils. The school had no projector, printer, or school-owned computer. The new lab will enable pupils to move from watching a lesson to practicing it by themselves. The equipment, which includes Windows 11 and LibreOffice, is donated unconditionally to the school, which owns it outright.
The Ntikuma Project has also committed to providing an ASANKA Device to support teaching and learning at the school for three years. The ASANKA Device is a portable offline learning hub that serves curriculum-aligned lessons, videos, and assessments to pupils and teachers over its own local Wi-Fi network, with no internet connection required. This will further enhance the school's ICT capabilities.
The equipment was counted against its serial number and functionally tested before handover, and is recorded in a signed asset register held by the school, The Ntikuma Project, and the District Education Directorate. The handover certificate was signed by The Ntikuma Project and the school's Headteacher in the presence of representatives of the Akim Asafo Traditional Authority, the Ghana Education Service District Education Office, and the Education Unit of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
According to Kay Ampofo, Founder and Executive Director of The Ntikuma Project, the organization started the project because they believe that every child in Ghana should have access to technology. Ampofo has a personal connection to the school, having attended it as a child. He hopes that the project will help bridge the digital divide in Ghana.
The Headteacher of Akim Asafo Presbyterian Basic School, Mr. Twum Ampofo Thomas, expressed his gratitude to The Ntikuma Project for choosing their school. He believes that the new ICT Lab will help close the technology gap and provide students with the digital skills they need to compete in today's world.
The Ntikuma Project's deployment is the first stage of its four-stage TEPS framework, which includes Access & Infrastructure, Skills & Literacy, Practice & Agency, and finally Technology Enhanced Problem Solvers (TEPS). The project will track use and learning outcomes at the school against a baseline taken at deployment. A further six computers will be delivered before the end of 2026.
Key points
- The Ntikuma Project provides Akim Asafo Presbyterian Basic School with 14 new computers and a printer to bridge the digital divide.
- The project also includes a commitment to provide an ASANKA Device to support teaching and learning at the school for three years.
- The handover marks the completion of the project's first deployment and the opening of the school's first functioning ICT lab.
