A delegation from Japanese tech company, SORA Technology has paid a courtesy call on the Provost of the College of Basic Applied Sciences (CBAS), Prof. Boateng Onwona-Agyeman.
Prof. Onwona-Agyeman extended a warm welcome to the visiting delegation and provided an overview of the University of Ghana's unique collegiate system. In his remarks, he elaborated on the collaborative nature of the University and its commitment to excellence in education and research.
He also expressed a keen interest in exploring potential avenues for collaboration between CBAS and SORA Technology. The Provost underscored the significant mutual benefits that such a partnership could offer to both CBAS and SORA Technology, particularly in the critical area of developing solutions to combat malaria.
Outlining the focus and purpose of their innovations, Africa Business Lead at SORA Technology, Mr. Masaki Umeda mentioned that his company had developed innovative solutions with drone technology. “This technology is designed to identify suitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes and eliminate them, with the aim of reducing the incidence of malaria in Ghana and across the African continent.”
Mr. Umeda touched on the functions of the drone. He said “we are providing this kind of drone, especially for public health centres, this project aims at targeting high-risk larvae habitats in various water bodies using the combination of drones and AI.
Adding to the functions of the drone, he mentioned “one of the benefits of using drones for water body monitoring against malaria is that the anopheles’ mosquito that transmits malaria prefers to breed in smaller pools of water after rainfall. In order to make this project successful it will be very important to combine interdisciplinary knowledge.”
While looking forward to providing solutions with the drone technology, the SORA Technology Africa Business Lead noted that there is need for more knowledge about malaria in Ghana. According to him, collaborating with localised companies in Ghana will be very important for the provision of high-quality drones from Japan.
“Without localised knowledge about how to operate, how to maintain the sustainability of the project will be on the downside.” Mr. Umeda added.
The Sora team expressed interest in establishing a collaborative partnership between the University of Ghana and Sora Technology. Additionally, they proposed the creation of internship opportunities for students from the College.
On their part, Prof. Emmanuel Nyankson and Dr. Percy Okae, Heads of the Departments of Material Science & Engineering and Computer Engineering, respectively, pledged to provide the necessary resources to support the implementation of the project.
Also present at the meeting were several officials of the College.
