The International Biometric Society (IBS), Ghana Region has held its maiden Virtual Meeting codenamed, “Changing landscape for Statistical Education.”
The lead speaker was Professor Kaku Sagary Nokoe, FGA, a Biometrician and a Dean at the Catholic University College, Ghana.
Other speakers were Dr. Ezekiel N. Nortey, Senior Lecturer, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, UG, Dr. (Mrs.) Alice Constance Mensah, Senior Lecturer and Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, ATU, and Dr. Smart Sarpong, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Social Science Research, KsTU. The session was moderated by Dr. Alexander Boateng, Lecturer, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, KNUST,.
Professor Kaku Sagary Nokoe called for concerted efforts to change the landscape of Ghana’s Statistical Education. In view of the increasing data sizes, sources and complexities, there is the need to increase the capacity of practicing statisticians to undertake meaningful consulting activities.
The Landscape must include three key areas; Curricula, Case Studies, Data and Required Skills .
He intimated that Curricula must move from local to global and must be institutionalized. Case Studies must include diverse applications in Agriculture, Environment (Water, Land, Air) Natural Resources, Commerce, Health including Public Health (interface with environment) . Data must be integrated with deep knowledge on possible direct and indirect variables that require active collaboration with other data providers. And finally, the need to embrace Service Learning approaches as alternative to ordinary internships, supervised or otherwise.
He explained the seminar’s rationale saying, “We provide sample cases studies and methodological approaches, not necessarily exclusive, but guide on the need for one to be innovative.”
The Convener, Dr. Abukari Alhassan, Ghana’s Regional Executive Secretary of the IBS and a senior Lecturer at the Department of Statistics, University for Development Studies (UDS), in a closing remark, underscored the need to update the nation’s curriculum for statistics programmes in our universities.
This, according to him will enable the universities embrace the new emerging trends and the current data explosion in line with Ghana Government’s digitalization agenda.
Ghana is an active Region of IBS and a more recent addition to the network of Regions following its founding in 2007.
The International Biometric Society (IBS) is an international, professional and academic society promoting the development and application of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences, including biostatistics.
