Stanbic Bank Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to innovation and inclusion with the launch of the 2025 Women in STEM (WiSTEM) Bootcamp at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The five-day residential programme, themed “STEM Without Limit: Empowering and Inspiring Girls Who Change the Game,” brings together 300 female General Science students from 30 Senior High Schools across the country. From September 21-26, the participants will take part in coding workshops, problem-solving challenges, and mentorship sessions with industry leaders designed to equip them with the skills to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Delivering opening remarks on behalf of Stanbic Chief Executive Kwamina Asomaning, the bank’s Head of Digital Transformation, Estelle Jacqueline Asare, described the initiative as more than a training camp. “We’re not just launching a bootcamp today, we’re igniting a movement,” she said. “You are the software developers, engineers, scientists, doctors, and entrepreneurs who will redefine what’s possible. And Stanbic Bank is here to ensure the game is not only fair, but limitless.”
Ms Asare drew on her own journey from KNUST to leading digital transformation at Stanbic Bank, urging participants to embrace challenges with confidence. She recalled Ghana’s historic victory at the 2024 Standard Bank Group Hackathon, where a team she led won Best Digital Idea and the Overall Champion award — the first for the country at the continental competition.
Stanbic Bank’s role in supporting STEM education goes beyond sponsorship. The bank has donated more than 350 high-end laptops to KNUST’s Support One Student With One Laptop initiative, with 80 per cent allocated to female STEM students. It has also launched the #StanbicDreamChasers community, offering mentorship, peer networks, internships and national service opportunities to young innovators.
“At Stanbic Bank, we bank on ideas. We bank on innovation. And most importantly, we bank on people,” Ms Asare said. “Supporting initiatives like this bootcamp is not just corporate responsibility – it’s a strategic investment in Ghana’s future.”
President and Founder of KNUST Women in STEM (WiSTEMGh), Prof Ibok Oduro, praised Stanbic Bank for its consistent leadership in championing gender inclusion in science and technology. She noted that the bootcamp seeks to dismantle systemic barriers that have limited opportunities for girls in STEM, ensuring that talent, not gender, defines success.
The annual WiSTEM bootcamp has grown into a key platform for mentorship and innovation, providing girls with tools to thrive in a fast-changing, technology-driven world. With Stanbic Bank’s support, organisers say they are building a generation of young women ready to change the game in Ghana’s innovation economy.