On July 31, 2025, the Smart Classroom jointly established by the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (hereinafter referred to as "UNESCO-ICHEI"), Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration under the auspices of UNESCO (IEPA), and Wuhan OS-EASY GROUP HOLDING LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "OS-EASY") was officially inaugurated at the University of Cape Coast. On the same day, the Ghana National Centre of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) was formally launched, becoming the 13th National Centre established globally by IIOE in collaboration with partner institutions. The event brought together over 400 participants, including government representatives, university presidents, international partners, faculty, and students.

Photo of ribbon-cutting ceremony

Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, Vice-Chancellor of UCC, stated that as a leading higher education institution in Ghana, UCC is committed to playing a demonstrative and pioneering role in driving the country's digital transformation in higher education. He emphasized that the inauguration of the Smart Classroom and the IIOE National Centre marks a significant milestone in advancing educational modernization and will provide strong support for talent development and educational innovation across Ghana and the African continent. The university will take this opportunity to continuously enhance faculty development and integrate digital resources to help build a more open, inclusive, and future-oriented higher education system.

Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast

Professor Michael Boakye-Yiadom, Director of IEPA, reflected on the history of collaboration among UCC, IEPA, and UNESCO-ICHEI, highlighting their long-standing joint efforts to promote digital transformation and education equity in higher education. He noted that the advanced infrastructure of the Smart Classroom and the rich digital resources of IIOE not only provide robust technological and content support for UCC, but also inject new momentum into the modernization of Ghanaian higher education. Moving forward, the partners will deepen cooperation, promote faculty capacity building and resource sharing, enhance the digital skills of university teachers and students, and work together to bridge the digital divide.

Professor Michael Boakye-Yiadom, Director of IEPA

Professor George T.K. Oduro, Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Education of Ghana, noted that the Smart Classroom will significantly improve teaching quality and access to educational resources, laying a foundation for digital transformation in higher education institutions. He emphasized that faculty development is key to ensuring the long-term impact of the Smart Classroom. The systematic training programs co-launched by UNESCO-ICHEI and IEPA will enhance teachers' digital competencies and AI literacy, ensuring that both faculty and students benefit from the new infrastructure. The Ministry of Education will continue to support the operation of the IIOE Ghana National Centre and promote digital reform and innovation in the higher education sector.

Professor George T.K. Oduro, Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Education of Ghana

Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, highlighted that the Smart Classroom project, coordinated by UNESCO-ICHEI, academically supported by SUSTech, and technologically supported by OS-EASY, has significantly upgraded UCC's digital infrastructure and provided a strong practical platform for the development of faculty and student digital skills. She noted that the official establishment of the IIOE Ghana National Centre marks UCC's growing role as a key hub for Ghana's higher education digital transformation. Moving forward, UCC will lead national capacity-building initiatives, promote policy dialogue, facilitate knowledge sharing, and serve as a model at both regional and global levels.

Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI

Ms. Wang Shuqin, OS-EASY's Africa Market Manager, shared representative success stories of the company in the field of education informatization and provided an overview of its integrated technical solutions. She noted that through its cloud desktop solution, partner universities can enable remote communication and collaboration, improve IT operations efficiency, reduce software costs, and support a wide range of applications, including teaching, practical training, testing, and administration.

Ms. Wang Shuqin, OS-EASY's Africa Market Manager

Professor Muhammed Bashir Mu'azu, Director of the Distance Learning Centre at Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), and Dr. Brian Halubanza, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Mulungushi University (Zambia), shared their respective institutions' experiences with Smart Classroom and IIOE National Centre development and operations. Professor Mu'azu detailed how the Smart Classroom has been applied in teaching, teacher training, and project implementation, and discussed the IIOE Nigeria National Centre's experience, including organizing national-level policy dialogues. Dr. Halubanza focused on training achievements in faculty digital capacity building at Mulungushi University and the university's active role in shaping Zambia's national AI policy. He also shared upcoming plans at the IIOE Zambia National Centre, including projects focused on empowering African women. Both speakers expressed strong interest in deepening collaboration with the IIOE Ghana National Centre to build a coordinated network for digital transformation in higher education across Africa.

Professor Muhammed Bashir Mu'azu, Director of the Distance Learning Centre at Ahmadu Bello University	Dr. Brian Halubanza, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Mulungushi University

The Smart Classroom and IIOE Ghana National Centre have brought comprehensive upgrades in both digital infrastructure and resource systems to UCC, serving as a model of international cooperation and resource integration led by UNESCO-ICHEI. The Smart Classroom provides solid technological foundations for teaching, while IIOE offers rich course resources and training programs to continuously enhance digital and AI capacities of educators. These elements complement each other and generate positive synergy. In the future, the IIOE Ghana National Centre will focus on building a national higher education network, improving faculty capacity, and facilitating policy dialogue to systematically promote educational innovation and help shape a more modern, inclusive, and sustainable higher education system.

About the University of Cape Coast

Founded in 1962, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) is one of Ghana's most prestigious public comprehensive universities, dedicated to cultivating high-quality educators, promoting research and innovation, and contributing to national and regional development. UCC has strong academic foundations in education, natural sciences, and social sciences, and its School of Education is a major center for teacher training and educational research in West Africa. In recent years, UCC has actively promoted digital transformation and international cooperation, leveraging ICT and modern education technologies to improve teaching quality and equity. The university strives to be a leader in the advancement of higher education across Africa.

About the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA)

The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration under the auspices of UNESCO (IEPA), based at the University of Cape Coast, is a key UNESCO-affiliated education research and capacity-building institution in Africa. IEPA specializes in educational policy research, management training, and higher education development consulting. It provides forward-looking theoretical and practical guidance for education systems across the African region. As a core partner of the IIOE Ghana National Centre, IEPA plays an essential role in fostering policy dialogue, strengthening teacher capacity, and supporting the modernization of education governance.

About OS-EASY

Founded in 2013, Wuhan OS-EASY GROUP HOLDING LTD is a provider of desktop cloud technologies and solutions. It is committed to innovating in cloud computing, desktop virtualization, distributed computing, and edge computing to serve clients in education, government, enterprise, healthcare, and finance. OS-EASY offers a suite of software products-spanning cloud desktop, hybrid cloud, indigenous innovation cloud, and terminal operations-alongside a line of branded hardware such as cloud terminals and cloud servers. Guided by the concept of "one cloud for all desktop scenarios," OS-EASY delivers integrated software-hardware solutions for diverse application needs.