Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept discussed only in technology circles. For young professionals in Ghana, it has become a defining factor in career growth and long term employability.
That message took centre stage at a recent webinar organised by Absa Bank Ghana under its ReadytoWork skills development programme.
The session, themed “Level Up Your Career with AI Skills,” brought together industry practitioners to unpack what artificial intelligence competence truly means and how young people can position themselves to remain relevant in a rapidly changing job market. The focus was not only on productivity but also on responsibility, critical thinking, and supervision.
AI and the New Productivity Standard
Jeremiah Amlanu, a Software Engineer and Tech Innovation Lead at Techies for Impact, set the tone with a clear and direct assessment of AI’s impact on output.
“One person who knows the job can now employ AI to do the work of five to 10 different people,” he said. “If you know how to work with AI, you can actually expand your productivity, and that makes you very valuable to the marketplace.”
His remarks reflect a broader shift in how employers measure performance. Productivity is no longer tied strictly to hours worked or years of experience. Instead, the ability to use AI tools effectively has become a multiplier. A young professional who understands how to leverage artificial intelligence can outperform colleagues who rely solely on traditional methods.
This evolving productivity equation is already influencing hiring and promotion decisions. Although many job descriptions have not been formally updated to reflect AI expectations, the underlying reality is that companies increasingly value those who can combine human expertise with technological efficiency.
Artificial Intelligence Is More Than Coding
While artificial intelligence is often associated with programming and technical development, the panellists were quick to dispel that narrow view.
Nicole Nanka-Bruce, Founder of Belmont Solutions and an AI Practitioner and Scholar, challenged the assumption that AI skills are limited to writing code.
“AI is really more than just coding,” she said. “It also leans into literacy: knowing which AI to use for a task, how to use it, and when to use it.”
Her perspective broadened the conversation from technical competence to what she described as AI literacy. This includes understanding different tools, framing effective prompts, and recognising the limits of machine generated output.
However, she also sounded a strong note of caution about intellectual overdependence.
“The biggest mistake I see is when young people completely outsource their thinking instead of outsourcing their tasks. AI is supposed to be a supplement; it is not necessarily supposed to be a wheelchair that you sit in for someone else to push you.”
Nicole Nanka-Bruce
Her warning resonated with many participants. While AI offers speed and convenience, it cannot replace critical thinking, ethical judgment, or contextual understanding. Professionals who surrender their reasoning entirely risk diminishing their own value.
A Practical Framework for Responsible AI Use
Providing a structured approach to navigating this balance, Alexander Kobina Nsiah, Technical Product Lead at Absa Bank Ghana, introduced what he described as a practical “3D framework” for working with AI.
The framework consists of three stages: draft, diagnose, and decide.
Under this approach, AI can be used to generate a first draft or accelerate an initial process. The user must then diagnose the output by checking for accuracy, bias, and relevance. Finally, the individual applies human judgment to make the final decision.
The model reinforces the idea that while AI can increase speed and efficiency, accountability remains firmly with the human user.
“Truthfully, it is both,” he said of the threat-versus-opportunity debate. “You transition from being the one who is actually doing the task to the one who is supervising an AI to do the task.”
This reframing shifts the narrative from fear of replacement to responsibility of oversight. Instead of competing against AI, young professionals are encouraged to position themselves as supervisors who guide, refine, and validate machine generated work.
Actionable Steps for Young Professionals
The webinar concluded with clear recommendations for those seeking to build AI competence.
First, learn to prompt effectively. The quality of AI output depends largely on the clarity and structure of instructions provided. Prompting is a skill that improves with consistent experimentation and refinement.
Second, choose one AI platform and master it. Rather than spreading attention thinly across multiple tools, participants were encouraged to develop fluency with one platform such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another relevant system. Deep familiarity often produces better results than superficial knowledge of many tools.
Third, remain critical at all times. AI systems can produce confident and convincing outputs that are factually incorrect or contextually inappropriate. Treating AI output as a starting point rather than a final answer is essential for maintaining professional credibility.
About ReadytoWork
The webinar forms part of ReadytoWork, Absa’s educational and skills development initiative designed to equip young people with practical knowledge for the transition from education into the world of work.
The programme offers online learning modules that cover work skills, people skills, money skills, entrepreneurship, and creative thinking. Beyond foundational areas, ReadytoWork also provides advanced exposure to emerging fields such as digital literacy, blockchain technologies, the gig economy, project management, and computational thinking.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, Absa’s emphasis on responsible supervision rather than blind adoption reflects a growing understanding that the future of work will belong to those who can combine speed with sound judgment.
READ ALSO: Afreximbank Forecasts Ghana’s Inflation to Rise to 9.9%
