The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has taken a major step towards technology-enabled learning with the official launch of its laptop assembly plant at the AFOA ATA Building.
The plant, launched on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, is the university’s response to years of student complaints that teaching is too theoretical.
“The main idea behind the UPSA laptop assembly plant is not just about assembling laptops but also to expose our students to the basic things they need to know and, ultimately, to equip them with skills to be self-reliant,” management explained at the launch.
“We always teach them theoretical frameworks, but complete education requires that students practise what they learn.”
The university says IT education at UPSA is being redefined, moving from watching videos about motherboards to actually making them.
“Today, our students can walk to the lab and learn how to make motherboards, as well as assemble and dismantle a lot of gadgets,” the university stated.
The training also covers software, app development that interacts with hardware, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
In what it describes as a first-of-its-kind model for Ghanaian public universities, UPSA announced that, from the next academic year, every newly admitted student will assemble their own laptop.
“Once you are admitted to our university, you assemble your own laptop and use it yourself, and pay for it over time,” management said.
“We have come up with a very simple and convenient financing stream. You cannot train a student without a laptop. It is like going to school without a book and a pen.”
The plant currently produces 1,000 laptops per week, or about 4,000 a month, with the capacity to produce more through overtime work. The first 25 laptops were assembled by students last Saturday after just three days of training.
The facility is also equipped with an S-ray machine to detect faults and will provide warranty and after-sales services.
The project is a partnership between UPSA and MDIT, alongside two other private investors. The university says it invested no money in the project, contributing student labour as its equity.
The consultant and acting chief executive officer of MDIT said UPSA was chosen because of its professionalism.
“MDIT partnered with UPSA because, when we talk about professionalism, you cannot go anywhere other than UPSA,” he said.
“Our role is not just to bring a product out but to give skills to our students so they can progress from the basics to the intermediate and advanced levels, where they can also conduct their own research and come up with their own designs and working boards before they graduate.”
He disclosed that the training would include short courses lasting between one month and one year in advanced AI, AI agent training, and basic and advanced printed circuit board (PCB) and motherboard training.
The courses will be open to all students, not just those studying IT, with a minimum entry qualification of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or an equivalent senior high school qualification.
“Some of them are into marketing, some are into different fields, but it all starts with the interest,” he said.
Beyond the classroom
As a business university, UPSA says it intends to commercialise its knowledge by serving as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for Ghanaian businesses seeking to develop their own laptop, mobile phone and tablet brands locally.
“The average Ghanaian businessman knows that … I want to create my own brand. Let me go to UPSA and see how UPSA can create a brand for me. I don’t have to travel outside, pay customs duties and all that,” management said.
“Our prayer is that we will scale it up and then, if possible, go nationwide.”
Management described the launch as Phase One of the project, with Phase Two focusing on engaging the business community.