Professor Jerry John Kponyo, Associate Professor in the Department of Telecommunication Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has been appointed to the International Telecommunication Union’s newly formed Academic Advisory Body for Emerging Technologies.

In a letter signed by ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Prof. Kponyo was thanked for accepting the invitation to join the international panel, which will provide strategic guidance on the intersection of research, innovation, and policy in rapidly advancing technological domains.

“With over 160 years of legacy, we recognize the vital role of science and innovation in shaping the future. As technology evolves, bridging research and policy becomes essential to turning ideas into impactful solutions for society,” the letter wrote.

The Academic Advisory Body will be co-chaired by Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and former UN Under-Secretary-General, and Professor Christopher Yoo, Imasogie Professor of Law and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Prof. Kponyo, who currently serves as Dean of Quality Assurance and Planning Office(QAPO) at KNUST, is also the Project Lead for the $5.5 million KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP), a World Bank-funded Africa Centre of Excellence focusing on digital development and energy.

He is Co-Founder of the Responsible AI Network (RAIN) Africa, a partnership between KNUST and Germany’s Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Principal Investigator for the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL), supported by IDRC and GIZ.

With over 50 publications and a track record in AI, IoT, and intelligent systems research, Prof. Kponyo is also a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineers and coordinates the West Africa Sustainable Engineering Network for Development (WASEND).