The Ghana Internet Safety Foundation (GISF) and the Trust and Safety Africa Academy (TSAA), in partnership with the Department of Computer Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have launched a Safety by Design Training of Trainers programme for Ghanaian universities. [Confirm whether to name Stanford’s Ethics, Society and Technology unit as international partner.]
Building safety in from the start
Safety by Design is an approach, championed internationally by bodies such as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, that puts user safety and rights at the centre of how technology is designed and built, rather than fixing harms after products launch. As more apps, platforms and AI tools are built in Africa, the people who teach and write the code have a vital role in protecting the children and communities who will use them.
The programme is open to lecturers who write code, coders and software engineers from all public and private universities in Ghana. It combines:
- a virtual foundations session on online harms, children’s rights and Safety by Design principles
- an in-person capstone at KNUST, where participants apply the principles to real products and teaching
Participants who complete the programme can earn the TSAA Certified Safety by Design Trainer credential, so they can carry the approach into their own classrooms and teams.
“Ghana’s next generation of technology is being built in our universities today,” said Emmanuel Adinkra, Founder and President of GISF and Executive Director of TSAA. “By equipping lecturers and engineers with Safety by Design, we can make sure that what Africa builds is safe for Africa’s children from day one.”
For enquiries, contact info@gisfoundation.com.
