An Artificial Intelligence Engineer with Intel Corporation, Dr Daniel Teye Ocansey, says Ghana can significantly strengthen its fight against illegal mining and reduce the country’s rising road accidents by adopting the right AI tools.
Speaking as the Motivational Speaker at the College of Science Graduation Ceremony at KNUST, Dr Ocansey said AI has the capacity to detect galamsey operations in real time—long before security forces arrive too late to stop the damage.
“AI can analyse satellite images from Google Maps to spot changes like cleared land, new pits, paths or river discolouration, and send alerts with GPS locations to authorities,” he explained.
Illegal mining continues to pose a major threat to the country, degrading forest reserves, polluting rivers and undermining national security efforts. Despite military deployments and operations in various regions, authorities often detect new sites only after major destruction has occurred.
Dr Ocansey believes AI-backed systems could change this dynamic entirely, allowing Ghana to track early signs of encroachment and intervene swiftly.
Using AI to reduce road accidents
The Intel engineer also highlighted the potential of AI in addressing Ghana’s persistent road carnage.
A National Road Safety Authority report revealed that between January and August, 1,937 people died in road crashes, with more than 10,000 injuries recorded.
Dr Ocansey noted that while human error remains a major factor, many accidents occur because drivers detect hazards too late—including broken-down vehicles, potholes and road obstructions.
“AI can combine Google Maps, phone sensors and traffic data to detect hazards instantly and send real-time alerts to drivers via Google Maps, WhatsApp or radio,” he suggested.
He estimates that integrating such tools into Ghana’s transport system could save at least 2,000 lives annually.
“Most national issues can be solved with AI”
Dr Ocansey stressed that Artificial Intelligence offers solutions far beyond mining and road safety, saying many of the country’s longstanding national challenges could be addressed with the right digital tools.
He used his own experience to inspire the graduating class.
“Today, I serve as a CAD AI Engineer at Intel Corporation, where I build AI-driven tools that automate design, improve productivity and power innovation in the CAD industry,” he said.
He urged the youth to take advantage of emerging opportunities in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and data-driven intelligence, calling them fast-growing fields that can open new pathways for Ghana’s development.
“I didn’t share all this to impress you, but to impress upon you that possibility lives where persistence resides,” he told the graduands.
The ceremony brought together academics, students and industry leaders as KNUST’s College of Science celebrated this year’s graduating class.
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