Introduction
SMARTBLOCK4AFRICA, in collaboration with Valley View University (VVU) from Accra, Ghana, and Babcock University from Nigeria, held a conference titled “Emerging and Resilient Technologies in Building and Securing African Nations” at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) campus in Achimota from 30 September to 1 October 2024. The event brought together local and international experts to explore the transformative potential of blockchain and smart technologies in advancing Africa’s
development.
Opening Session
The conference commenced at 9:00 a.m. with a devotion by Pastor Dr. Peter Obeng Manu, Prof. Dominic Damoah, Dean of the School of Computer Science of Valley View University and Chair of the organizing committee, welcomed participants and urged them to actively engage in learning and capacity building. The Vice-Chancellor of VVU, Prof. William Koomson, delivered the opening remarks, emphasising the importance of blockchain technology in advancing Africa and officially launching the conference.
Prof. Oludele Awodele of Babcock University, Nigeria, extended greetings, highlighting that planning for the conference began in 2022. Dr. Mensah Sitti, Chair of IEEE Ghana, thanked the organisers and encouraged participants to register for IEEE membership.
The keynote speaker, Prof. Clement Dzidonu, spoke on smart technology and its role in Africa’s development, stressing the importance of building smart cities and adopting blockchain technology for various applications, such as cryptocurrency and land registration, and how it could reduce corruption through electronic voting. Prof. Dzidonu concluded by advocating for the ownership of technology in Africa while acknowledging the challenges it brings.
Presentations and Plenary Discussions.
The two-day event comprised presentation sessions and plenary discussions with Professors Maria Goga and Nicholae Goga of the Technology University of Civil Engineering and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, delivering a presentation on “Blockchain in Education.” They discussed its use in credential verification, digital diplomas, decentralised learning platforms and academic portfolios. Furthermore, Mr Michael Lawal and Eric Annan moderated a plenary discussion on “Current Trends in Emerging Technology”. Additionally, Mr. Eric Annan from Aya Ghana inspired participants to utilise technology to create startups before completing their studies. Following this, Prof. Yi Qian from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln delivered a presentation on technological advancements.
Three parallel breakout sessions were held during the two-day event to discuss the following:
Session A (Chaired by Prof. Oludele Awodele)
1. Predicting Voting Patterns Using Generative Adversarial Networks and Stack Star Classifier - Presented by Godwin Elo, Benjamin Ghansah, Stephen Opoku Oppong, Ben-Bright Benuwa, Winston Kwamina Essibu, and Einstein Kow Essibu.
2. An Adaptive Metaheuristic-based-VGG19 Model for Brain Tumor Detection and Classification - Presented by John Kingsley Arthur, George Amenuvor, Prince Yaw Owusu Amoako, Jeremiah Osei-Kwakye, Ronky Francis Doh, and Dominic Dalyngton Damoah.
3. Enhanced Fingerprint-based ATM Security Using Machine Learning Algorithms - Presented by Martin Doe, Ernest Domanaanmwi Ganaa, Yaw Afriyie, Andrew A. Bayor, Christian Bakaweri Baatuomu, and James Jakut Moyom.
Session B (Chaired by Prof. Adesina Sodiya, online)
1. Enhanced Technology Acceptance Model for Evaluating Adoption of Cloud Computing in Colleges of Education in Ghana - Presented by Eric Korku Agbemafle, Ben-Bright Benuwa, Benjamin Ghansah, Stephen Opoku Oppong, and Kojo Agyekum Asiama.
2. Leg Movement Controlled Robotic Leg for Menace Preclusion - Presented by Mensah Sitti, Anita Antwiwaa, Archibald Danquah-Amoah, Kannan Govindan, and Ezekiel Mensah Martey.
3. A Mobile Application Development for Pneumonia Classification: A Comparative Study of CNN Architectures Using Adam, Nadam, and RAdam Optimizers - Presented by Alexander Kissiedu, George Kwamina Aggrey, Maame Gyamfua Asante-Mensah, and Alexander Asante.
Session C (Chaired by Prof. Winfred Ofoe Larkotey)
1. Does Computer-Based Learning Suit Children’s Desire to Control Their Own Learning Experience in Ghana? - Presented by Rebecca Adwoa Amponsah, Martin Doe, Samuel Yao Sebuabe, Michael Tetteh Asare, John Kingsley Arthur, and Dominic Damoah.
2. AI-Generated and Human-Written Text Detection Using DistilBERT - Presented by Joshua Mawudem Gakpetor, Michael Yeboah-Sarpong Damoah, Dominic Dalyngton Damoah, Martin Doe, John Kingsley Arthur, and Michael Tetteh Asare.
3. Design and Implementation of a Secure and Transparent E-Voting System Using Blockchain Technology and Hybrid Encryption: The Case of Africa - Presented by Paul Arhin, George Aggrey, Michael Asante and Linda Otoo.
Activities of the technology conference were brought to a close at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, with Rebecca Adwoa Amponsah of VVU offering the vote of thanks, and Pastor Dr. Charles Amoah offering the closing prayer. The second leg of the conference will continue at Babcock University in Nigeria from 3rd - 4th October 2024.
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