AI For Professionals Programme Calls for Private Sector Partnerships to Train 120 Graduates
The AI for Professionals Programme is calling on private sector organisations to partner in training 120 young Ghanaian professionals and tertiary graduates in practical artificial intelligence (AI) skills to improve their employment prospects and help businesses increase productivity.
Programme lead consultant, Dr. Emmanuel Ahene, said AI proficiency would become increasingly important as businesses adopt the technology, warning that job seekers without relevant skills could struggle to meet future recruitment demands.
“We believe that it’s very likely that in the future, most employers may hesitate to employ people without any AI skills,” he said.
The programme is therefore seeking private-sector partners to help identify industry skills gaps, shape the training curriculum and provide real workplace challenges for participants to solve. Companies are also being encouraged to offer internships, project-based contracts or full-time employment to graduates who successfully complete the programme.
The call was made at a stakeholder engagement meeting at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra, which brought together employers, development partners and government representatives to discuss how businesses can prepare for an increasingly AI-driven workplace.
The programme is being implemented by KNUST in partnership with the German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Ghana.
It forms part of the Private Sector and Innovation Promotion in Ghana (PSInno) programme, commissioned by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MoTAI), Greater Accra Regional Office.
The programme will provide three months of hands-on training in four areas: AI for Creatives; AI for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence; AI-Augmented Software Development; and AI for Digital Marketing and E-Commerce.
GIZ Head of Programme, Arlett Stojanovic, said the initiative would focus on helping businesses apply existing AI tools to improve their operations rather than developing new technologies.
“Actually, where it might make a big difference is if you succeed in introducing it in the company to improve productivity,” she said.
She said the effective use of AI in businesses could help improve productivity and strengthen their competitiveness.
Under the programme’s “Train 2, Place 2” partnership model, participating organisations are expected to train two of their employees in practical AI skills at no cost and provide placement opportunities for two programme graduates.
Applications for the first cohort of 120 participants are expected to open around October 29, 2026. Selection will be competitive, with particular emphasis on young people and women.
Participants will be required to complete business-related projects before certification, after which successful graduates will be matched with partner organizations for placement opportunities.
The programme seeks to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, address digital skills gaps and help businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, use AI to improve efficiency and competitiveness.