Arizona State University marks a significant milestone in expanding the university’s global access mission by welcoming the newest member of Mastercard Foundation Scholars to the new Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business (MS-AIB) from the W.P. Carey School. Celebrating. Business — First AI degree at a business school in the country.
The five students, from Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, and Nigeria, received full scholarships to attend the new MS-AIB at the WP Carey School on ASU’s Tempe campus this fall.
“Africa is in the midst of a technological revolution and AI has the capacity to address the critical challenges facing the continent.Africa has the ability to understand technology and make it scalable and culturally We need business-minded leaders who implement in a relevant way,” said Julia Rosen, ASU vice president of global academic initiatives. “As part of the first group to enroll in ASU’s new Master of AI in Business by W.P. Carey, these five Mastercard Foundation Scholars will receive a cutting-edge AI education with hands-on leadership and entrepreneurial training. experience.
“By the end of their time at ASU, they will be ready to put their new knowledge into practice in industries across the continent.”
Selected from over 2,000 applicants with strong backgrounds in technology, business, and entrepreneurship, five were selected as finalists for the scholarship and 10 of the applicants were selected to You have been selected to receive support to enroll in the WP Carey Certificate. online program.
New Mastercard Foundation Scholars include Abang Faith Timoh (Cameroon), Esther Oyiyechi Abel (Nigeria), Francis Xavier Inyangat (Uganda), Florence Ofori (Ghana), and Samuel Ninsiima (Uganda).
Mina Ahmad, director of the ASU Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, said the group is at the beginning of a journey of transformation not only for themselves but for the community.
“They were selected for their academic excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to creating positive change through technology and innovation,” Ahmad said. “For example, Florence Ofori worked with a team during her AI research residency at Google Ghana to develop a model to predict locust outbreaks in Africa, which has huge implications for Africa’s agriculture industry and food security. may affect the region.
ASU celebrated September 27 with a welcome event for five award winners who will embark on a year-long academic and practical training program in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and AI technology skills. They will finish their stay with a three-month business internship in Arizona.
“Everything that[Mastercard Foundation Scholars]learn in this program will be something they take to heart and enable on their continent,” said a clinical professor in the Department of Information Systems at the W.P. Carey School of Business. Professor Dan Mazzola said. We call it “Mindful Artificial Intelligence.” It is an approach to doing business that is enabled by artificial intelligence to seek new opportunities to improve outcomes, reduce costs and provide better service. And they will have the skills to apply it in ways that cross disciplines and industries. ”
Mazzola said he believes this group also has the right attitude and mindset.
“They’re young and energetic,” he said. “They believe the world will be a better place than I ever imagined, and they will use principled innovation to help us do it in a conscious and ethical way.” “This is one of our core beliefs here at ASU.”
make a global difference
Timo, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Assisi University in Ghana, said she wanted to learn how to create a fitness app for women.
“I’m a fitness enthusiast and I want to create something for women in rural Africa who don’t have good access to the internet,” said Timoh, an acceleration analyst in ASU’s Enterprise Technology department. says. “Something that helps them without having to contact a fitness coach or manage their own health.”
Nsima, who holds a degree in statistics from Sabaragamuwa University in Sri Lanka, hopes to use her skills to grow Uganda’s agricultural sector.
“Nearly 80% of Africa’s economy is based on agriculture. We want to get farmers on board the AI train before they are left behind,” Nsima said, adding that through digitalization and other technological initiatives, farmers can be We would like to introduce it to the market. “Many people on the ground are reluctant to go digital and are tied to traditional ways of doing business, but my hope is to show them how artificial intelligence can actually help them and help them understand how artificial intelligence works. It is about accepting.”
Oyeechi Abel, who earned a degree in information technology from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria, said he plans to spend this year honing his AI skills to help shape industries and communities across Africa.
“AI in Africa is not very advanced in terms of its use in financial and business applications,” says Oyiechi-Abel. “I want to find ways to solve these problems so that we can make more progress in these areas and improve our way of life across the board.”
After earning a degree in computer engineering from Busitema University in Uganda, Mr. Inyangat began his career at Standard Bank, where he quickly made his mark in software development. With the knowledge and skills gained in this program, he plans to focus on regulation and governance.
“Africa is catching up in terms of regulation when it comes to technology and artificial intelligence,” Inyangat said. “I can use my skills to give back to government by putting guardrails in place to use AI in a responsible and ethical manner.”
Ofori also shares a desire to solve some of Africa’s most pressing social problems through technology.
“I will focus specifically on the supply chain sector because I think these are very big issues for Africa,” said Ofori, who holds a degree in management information systems from Assisi University in Ghana. “We want to be able to automate supply chain processes and move things quickly from one place to another, boosting economies and maintaining Africa’s financial health.”
In between studying, Ofori plans to “visit all the tourist attractions available.”
“I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon yet, so I’m definitely going,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to celebrating Halloween. I’m going to a haunted house with my friends next week, which should be fun.”
It’s important to have fun, said Nkosinati Mzembe, one of 314 graduates who have participated in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars program since 2012, who announced five new Mastercard Foundation Scholars at the Sept. 27 event. He spoke as follows.
“The program was challenging, but I was never given anything beyond my skill set,” Mzembe said. “[Mastercard Foundation Scholars]should use this time to build connections with professors and colleagues to make the most of their time here, because their year will go by quickly. , learn, make connections, adapt to the culture, and have fun.”
