The International Programmes Office (IPO) in collaboration with Women in Science and Technology (WiSTEM) and Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have held a 5-day Capacity Building Workshop in Data Analysis for newly appointed Female Senior Members (academic, administrative, and professional).
KNUST-LISA, headed by Professor (Mrs.) Atinuke Olusola Adebanji is a statistical collaboration laboratory to increase the quantity and quality of statistics and data science applied to advance high-impact research at KNUST and expert decision-making in the community.
The first three days of the program, which was held on the 28th and 30th March 2022 at the Learning Commons, College of Science was facilitated by Professor A. O Adebanji, Dr. Alexander Boateng, Dr. Samuel Gyamerah, Dr. Nana Kena Frempong, Dr. Omari Sasu, and Dr. Eric Nimako Aidoo and Dr. Isaac Mensah.
The first cohort was trained on types and introduction to SPSS, managing data in SPSS (Data coding, entry, validation, and extreme values), exploratory data analysis, and Parametric Tests: Normality, Mean Proportion, and graphical presentation of data. The second cohort was also taken through logistic regression, time series analysis non-parametric and parametric tests, and linear regression analysis on 31st and 1st April.
The Secretary of WiSTEM-KNUST, Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Badu in her speech at the opening ceremony stated that WiSTEM was set up to deliberate and chart a path toward active involvement in mentorship, capacity building, and leadership to support career progression within the University and Ghana as a whole.
According to her, the University as an academic institution seeks to close the gender gaps in areas of its core functions. These areas, she outlined to include leadership and governance, decision-making, student enrolment proportions, staff recruitment, and general development of academic and non-academic staff.
The Secretary to WiSTEM also named the few positions occupied by females in KNUST. Based on this, she urged the participants to take the training seriously and learn the needed skills to be able to acquire the right data to boost research capacity and lead high-quality research publications.
The Dean of International Programmes Office, Professor Daniel Y. A. Duah explained that in the contemporary world of research, it is imperative to organise such workshops to equip staff with modern skills and expertise, thus applauding WiSTEM and LISA for such training. He drew the participants’ attention to the need to regularly check their staff emails to be informed of available workshops and trainings both locally and internationally.
He further encouraged healthy networks and partnerships among the participants to help their growth.
Sharing her experience from the training, Mrs. Delali Adjei from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on behalf of other participants, thanked the organisers for creating an avenue to learn new skills and encouraged other early-career female senior members to participate to aid their career development.