About 15,000 benefit from Girls in ICT initiative

By Elizabeth PUNSU

About 14,981 girls across the country have been trained under the National Girls in ICT programme, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has said.

Additionally, more than a hundred teachers have benefitted from this training.

This feat, according to the minister, even though may seem big is just a drop in the ocean as compared to the school-going girls’ population in the country.

The minister noted that this programme has made tremendous progress over the years since its inception in 2012. It started with 150 girls; but today, it has been transformed to include the training of a hundred teachers and 1000 girls in each region in basic ICT, programming, website creation and cyber-security.

“To date, 14,981 girls nationwide have received this training. If we look at our population of girls at school-going age, this is still only a drop in the ocean. We can do more. Our mission remains to create an environment where all girls can explore and excel in ICT”, she said.

According to Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful Esq, more girls should have had the opportunity to join the programme. She stated that at least 100 girls from each district should be in the Girls in the ICT programme.

Even though the minister urged corporate entities to support the programme to reach several girls, she expressed appreciation to MTN and other sponsors of the programme.

“I thank the National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), MTN, American Tower Corporation (ATC), Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence and the World Bank for supporting this programme over the years. Through their kind support, partnership and sponsorship, we have expanded our reach and we will continue delivering on this promise,” the minister mentioned.

She further elaborated on the need for girls to be educated enough on technology.

“Our world is changing and technology is reshaping every aspect of our lives; so we must create deliberate measures to bridge the gender digital divide and give our young ladies the opportunity to become innovators and problem solvers of tomorrow.

“As technology transforms the world around us, we must ensure our girls are not merely observers but active participants and leaders in this digital era. By providing our girls with the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate and innovate in the tech space, we are laying the foundation for the future where no one, especially a girl-child, is left behind. Our goal is to empower them to take charge of our destinies and become catalysts for change in their communities and beyond” she highlighted.

Investment from MTN

A representative of MTN told the B&FT on the side that MTN has invested GH¢15.6million from 2021 to 2024.

This, she noted, has contributed to the training of 10,000 girls and 1000 teachers in basic ICT skills such as coding, website design, game development and animation development.

The regions covered so far include North-East, Western-North, Ahafo, Bono-East, Bono, Savannah, Northern, Eastern, Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions.

Meanwhile, 10-year-old Success Joselyn Dadzie, a basic six pupil from Hwidiem M/A Basic School in the Asante Akyem North Municipality, won the ‘Overall Best Gir’l after taking several exams and training, out of 1000 girls who participated. The top 100 girls were awarded with laptops each.

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