Academic City launch MSc in Data Science and Analytics program

As part their educational initiatives, Academic City University College has launched MSc in Data Science and Analytics program on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, reaffirming their commitment to delivering top-notch education in response to the needs of the modern world.

Hosting the launch at the university campus inside Haatso, President of Academic City, Prof. Fred McBagonluri, expressed his overwhelmed excitement at the school’s ability to finally launch the course despite numerous challenges.

“Today marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards innovation and progress. It is with great pleasure and excitement that we gather here to celebrate the launch of our new venture into the realm of data science and analytics”, he stated.

In his address, Prof. McBagonluri highlighted the importance of data science and analytics for Ghana and the entire African continent. He underscored the recent efforts by the Ghanaian government, particularly through the National Identification Authority (NIA), to emphasize the critical role of data collection.

Advocating for the registration of newborn babies, Prof. McBagonluri emphasized the importance of providing them with Ghana Cards from birth. This move aligns with the broader goal of enhancing data collection and management in the country.

The Ministry of Education expressed their approval by commending the university for its outstanding contribution to the country’s educational advancement.

According to the speech by Hon. Yaw Adutwum, investing in programmes such as the MSc in Data Science and Analytics, is not only preparing students for today’s jobs but also equipping them with the skills and knowledge to shape tomorrow’s jobs.

“As we look to the future, it is clear that the demand for skilled data scientists and analysts will only continue to grow. Organisations across all sectors are increasingly relying on data-driven insights to inform their decision-making processes and drive innovation,” he stated.

The event brought together diverse participants from corporate, academia, and students, as well as education and youth empowerment enthusiasts.

Bringing the launch to an end, the Department Coordinator for Computational Science and Informatics also the MC for the launch pleaded with the representative for the Ministry of Education, Francis K. E. Nunoo as well as data analytic experts to open their doors by collaborating with the university, providing data and also coming as guest lecturers to enlighten the students in field of Data Science and Analytics.

Speaking to the media, Professor Francis K. E. Nunoo, the Director for Tertiary Education highlighted the importance of education in a country’s development especially in a technology driven world.

He underscored that the Ministry is thrilled to partner with Academic City in launching the Data Science and Analytics program because it will contribute to government efforts to make Ghana more ICT-driven, technology-driven, and data-driven.

“The ministry so happy to partner with Academic city in launching this programme, because it is going to contribute to government efforts, make Ghana more ICT driven, more technology driven, more data-driven.

As Africans have we have been a little slow when they come to technology skills and the time for us to run with it is now.

This programme that Academic City is doing is a wonderful one, it’s directly into the government vision and fits into a national vision to grow this economy and this is wonderful” he added.

The MSc in Data Science program at Academic City aims to develop expertise in widely used analytics tools, foster independent problem-solving abilities in business contexts using analytics and data science.

It also focuses on comprehending the applications and implications of data science across industries, extracting strategic business insights from data, building predictive models for future trends, and gaining a substantial understanding of industry applications in data science and analytics portfolios.