By Ghana News

Copyright ghanamma

Société Générale Ghana has inaugurated a cutting-edge digital library powered entirely by solar energy at the Osu Presbyterian Cluster of Schools, marking a significant milestone in Ghana’s push toward sustainable educational technology infrastructure.

The initiative, developed in partnership with educational technology firm TECHAiDE and renewable energy specialist SolTedd Energy, represents a comprehensive approach to addressing multiple challenges facing Ghana’s educational sector, including unreliable electricity supply and limited access to digital learning resources.

At the inauguration ceremony held on the school premises, Société Générale Ghana Managing Director Ouzzani Hakim emphasized the project’s alignment with the bank’s Environmental, Social and Governance commitments. “This project is very special to us. It combines education, technology, and sustainability in a way that reflects our values as a bank,” Hakim stated during the ceremony.

The digital library features TECHAiDE’s flagship ASANKA platform, an innovative offline learning management system that provides access to educational content without requiring internet connectivity. ASANKA stands for “All Subjects and New Knowledge Access,” and functions as a digital repository filled with educational content based on the Ghana Education Service curriculum.

The technology addresses a critical gap in Ghana’s education system where Information and Communication Technology is a formal, examinable school subject, yet many schools lack adequate computer access or reliable internet connections. Recent deployments show ASANKA has been established in education labs across 12 regions in Ghana, training more than 1,900 teachers.

TECHAiDE representatives highlighted the platform’s offline capabilities during the inauguration, explaining that “the ASANKA is a low-cost, low-powered, durable offline learning management system that connects offline learners to local content for free by sharing learning content over Wi-Fi without accessing the internet”.

The system’s artificial intelligence-powered tools are specifically designed to support seamless learning aligned with Ghana Education Service curriculum requirements. The platform allows up to 25 users to access interactive lessons, videos, and quizzes simultaneously, enabling collaborative learning environments even in areas with limited technological infrastructure.

SolTedd Energy’s solar installation provides the renewable energy foundation for the project, featuring battery storage systems that ensure uninterrupted power supply to the digital library. Representatives from the company emphasized that reliable energy access is fundamental to sustained educational technology deployment in Ghana’s schools.

The solar power system addresses operational cost concerns while contributing to environmental sustainability through reduced carbon emissions. This approach aligns with growing recognition that sustainable energy solutions are essential for scaling educational technology initiatives across Ghana’s diverse geographical landscape.

Société Générale Ghana, formerly known as Société Générale-Social Security Bank, ranks as the seventh largest bank in Ghana with 45 networked branches and stock listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The institution’s involvement in educational initiatives reflects broader corporate social responsibility trends among Ghana’s major financial institutions.

The partnership model demonstrated at Osu Presbyterian Schools could serve as a template for similar initiatives across Ghana, where public-private collaborations are increasingly recognized as necessary for advancing educational infrastructure development. The combination of banking sector funding, educational technology innovation, and renewable energy solutions represents a comprehensive approach to addressing systemic challenges.

Educational technology deployment in Ghana faces persistent obstacles including inconsistent electricity supply, limited internet connectivity, and inadequate device availability. The ASANKA platform specifically addresses these challenges by enabling content sharing through Wi-Fi without internet requirements, while gathering analytics on user engagement for educational strategy optimization.

For Osu Presbyterian Cluster of Schools, the digital library represents access to educational resources previously unavailable due to infrastructure limitations. The offline functionality ensures that learning can continue regardless of internet connectivity issues that frequently affect educational institutions across Ghana.

The project’s sustainability focus extends beyond environmental considerations to include long-term educational impact. Recent collaborations between TECHAiDE and the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling demonstrate growing institutional support for digital learning platforms designed specifically for Ghanaian educational contexts.

As Ghana continues expanding digital education initiatives, projects like the Osu Presbyterian digital library provide valuable models for integrating sustainability principles with educational technology deployment. The success of this collaboration between Société Générale Ghana, TECHAiDE, and SolTedd Energy may influence similar initiatives across West Africa’s educational landscape.

The inaugural ceremony concluded with commitments from all partners to monitor the library’s impact on student learning outcomes and explore opportunities for replicating the model at additional schools throughout Ghana’s Presbyterian education network and beyond.