News
3 institutions collaborate to improve communication for individuals with non-standard
Prof Wiafe (left) with other speakers at the event
The University of Ghana (UG), Google Research Africa, and University College of London (UCL)’s Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) have collaborated on an AI-based initiative to improve communication for individuals with non-standard speech patterns in Ghana.
Known as ‘tekyerema pa’ (Good Tongue) project, it aims to address the gap faced by many individuals with non-standard speech due to conditions like cerebral palsy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) stroke, Down’s syndrome, or parkinson disease
ALS is a rare, fatal disease that causes the progressive loss of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.
The project is supported by a $40,000 grant from Google with research expertise from UCL’s GDI Hub provided through the AT2030 programme.
At a media briefing in Accra on last Friday, Prof. Isaac Wiafe, Project Lead and an Associate Professor, University of Ghana, said the project was focused on improving AI-powered speech recognition technology for five major Ghanaian languages, marking a significant step in making communication more inclusive for all.
The five Ghanaian languages were Akan, Ewe, Ikposo, Dagaare and Dagbani.
He explained that current software programmes or hardware devices that converts spoken words into a readable text format known as Speech Recognition Technologies often struggle to accurately interpret.
Prof. Wiafe said “we are thrilled to lead this important initiative, which reflects our commitment to using technology to solve real-world challenges.
By developing localised AI solutions, we can ensure that more Ghanaians have the opportunity to communicate effectively, regardless of their speech patterns.”
A Senior Research Scientist, Google Research, Katrin Tomanek, said the project reflected Google’s ongoing commitment to supporting AI research in Africa and ensuring that technological advances benefit everyone, regardless of how they speak.
She said the project builds on continuous research in making Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) more accessible with the hope of using the insights from their work in project Euphonia to help local researchers create Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models for local languages.
She said the collaboration will not only benefit individuals in Ghana but also provide valuable insights for global AI development adding, that it will lay the foundation for future language models and collection in Africa.
By Jemima Esinam Kua
News
We have built enough buffers to pay all DDEP obligations – Finance Minister Ato Forson
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has assured banks that the government has built sufficient financial buffers to meet all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) obligations this year.
Speaking at a high-level meeting with over 22 Managing Directors of banks, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and restoring confidence in the financial sector.
“We do not intend to default,” Dr. Forson declared.
“All outstanding holdouts have been paid, and we have put in place the necessary buffers to ensure that every single DDEP obligation for this year will be met.”
The Minister explained that these buffers were created through fiscal discipline, strategic investment cuts, and prudent resource allocation.
As part of this approach, the government has reset goods and services expenditure to 2023 levels and is working to achieve a primary surplus of 1.5% to sustain economic stability.
He also announced plans to submit a fiscal responsibility rule to Parliament, which will set a debt ceiling that the Ministry of Finance cannot exceed.
This measure aims to prevent excessive borrowing and reinforce financial discipline.
Beyond ensuring timely DDEP payments, Dr Forson revealed that the government is taking deliberate steps to reduce reliance on the Treasury bill market.
By improving coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, the government aims to stabilize interest rates and ease liquidity pressures on the banking sector.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
News
NSA commences President Mahama’s ‘Nkoko Nkitikiti’ vision
President Mahama’s Vision in Progress as the National Service Authority has received 10,000 “Nkoko Nkitikiti” (Day Old Chicks ) earlier this morning.
Their ongoing 100,000 Poultry infrastructure will be receiving 10,000 Day Old Chicks every few weeks until they hit their 100,000 mark for Broilers at a site in NSA Demonstration farm in Accra.
NSA is working assiduously nationwide with partners to put the infrastructure in place for hundreds of thousands of Poultry Capacity for Broilers in clusters.
Egg production is also top of their agenda in separate projects. NSA is currently putting in place the infrastructure that will receive thousands of layers in President Mahama’s quest to bring down the cost of eggs.
They expect to expand their poultry capacity base in furtherance of President Mahama’s vision to reduce the importation of poultry products and create employment
