Prof. Jerry John Kponyo advocates pedagogical shift with AI at AETF Conference 2025
Date: 2025-11-08
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
Principal Investigator and Scientific Director of the Responsible AI Lab at
KNUST, Prof. Jerry John Kponyo has called for a major transformation in
Africa’s approach to education through responsible application of Artificial
Intelligence. Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Education Trust Fund
AI Conference 2025, he spoke on behalf of KNUST Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rita
Akosua Dickson, and stressed that Africa is at a defining point where AI can
renew and strengthen educational systems rather than erode them.
He
noted that while the global education landscape continues to struggle with
rising demand and widening digital divides, the continent has a unique
opportunity to use AI to drive meaningful progress. Prof. Kponyo referenced
projections showing AI could contribute around US$20 billion to Ghana’s GDP,
pointing to the urgent need to focus on how AI systems are deployed, rather
than questioning their adoption.
According
to him, AI is already influencing classroom experiences globally, and the most
significant impact will be in shifting education from traditional one-way
instruction to interactive and personalised learning. He argued that AI should
help move classrooms from content delivery to dialogue, enabling instant
feedback, customised learning experiences and supporting teachers by automating
administrative tasks so they can focus more on mentorship and critical
thinking.
Prof.
Kponyo stressed that this transition must be grounded in trust, equity and
responsible governance. Teachers, he said, must remain at the centre of
decision-making, while students must learn to use AI in ways that complement
creativity and reasoning. He urged policymakers and developers to design tools
suited to African realities, including mobile-friendly platforms, low-data
solutions and multilingual accessibility, and emphasised that teacher training
must evolve to cover not just use of AI tools but also how to apply them
responsibly within learning environments.
