The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has held its National Girls in ICT mentorship program.
The two-day Girls-in-ICT Initiative taking place on July 9th and 10th, 2024 empowered girls and young women to pursue ICT education and jobs.
The event which featured prominent female leaders shared their experiences to inspire the younger generation.
Chairing the event was Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, an Associate Professor and founding Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Ghana, who encouraged the participants to seize the opportunity, emphasizing that “no experience is ever waste” and that the skills learnt can be applied in various future endeavors.
Among the notable speakers on day one was Dr. Nanayaa Tina Owusu Prempeh, Board Chair of the Ghana Domain Name Registry. Dr. Owusu Prempeh, the first woman in Ghana to own an internet company.
Sharing their experiences in the industry, these personalities urged the students to delve deeper into IT studies.
The Girls-in-ICT initiative is designed to empower young women to pursue ICT education and careers.
The climax tommorrow will see some presentation of awards to the top 100 performing girls, remarks by coaches and mentors, and the distribution of certificates to all participants.
Top performers according to the ministry will receive prizes such as laptops, modems, and cash awards. ICT labs will also be established in the schools of the best-performing students.
The 2024 edition of the Girls in ICT program was executed in collaboration with the National Communications Authority, Ghana Education Service, Vodafone, and MTN who trained 3,000 girls and 300 teachers across three regions.
This initiative since its introduction by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2012, has trained over 1,300 young girls.
By Ruth Sekyi – Public Sector Global
