Theory Alone Will Not Buld Ghana Tech Future: The Case For Pratical Education

Theory alone will not build Ghana’s tech future. We cannot continue to teach students how technology works and expect them to become innovators if they have never had the opportunity to build, repair or assemble it themselves. If we want graduates who can solve problems, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to national development, practical experience must begin while they are still in school, not after graduation.

On October 14, 2026, the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), took a significant step in that direction by launching a laptop assembly plant at the AFOA ATA Building. Described as the first of its kind in a Ghanaian public university, the initiative represents an important shift from classroom learning to practical technical experience.

This is the kind of education we should be demanding.

For too long, the conversation about graduate unemployment in Ghana has focused on the lack of jobs. But we must also examine how effectively our educational institutions prepare students for the opportunities available to them. A certificate is important, but the ability to apply knowledge, solve real problems and create something valuable is equally critical.

The best time to acquire these skills is not after graduation, when a young person is already struggling to find employment. It is while that student still has access to lecturers, training facilities, mentorship and an environment designed for learning.

UPSA’s initiative recognises this reality. According to UPSA management, from the next academic year, every newly admitted student is expected to assemble their own laptop, with an arrangement that allows them to pay in instalments. Students will also gain practical exposure to laptop assembly, repairs, motherboard technology, software, artificial intelligence, warranty processes and after-sales support.

This goes beyond providing students with computers. It gives them an opportunity to understand the technology they use every day.

A student who learns to diagnose a faulty motherboard, install software or repair a computer is gaining skills that can become a source of income. Another may develop an interest in hardware engineering, establish a repair business or eventually build a technology company. These are possibilities worth investing in.

There is also a bigger national conversation here. Ghana cannot achieve meaningful technological independence if we remain only consumers of products manufactured elsewhere. We must build the knowledge, technical capacity and confidence to participate more actively in manufacturing and innovation.

UPSA has opened a door. Other universities should take notice.

Our institutions must stop treating practical training as an afterthought. Let students’ experiment, build, repair and create before they leave campus. Let education prepare them not merely to search for jobs, but to become problem-solvers, entrepreneurs and employers.

Ghana does not just need graduates who understand technology. We need graduates who can make technology work for Ghana. And that transformation must begin in our classrooms, laboratories and workshops today.

By: Sanja Nanyi
B.A Public Relations Management

UPSA
Level 300