980 Girls attend ICT workshop

A total of 980 girls from selected basic schools in the Central Region are in Cape Coast to be reoriented on the importance of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in all socio-economic endeavours to whip up their interest in the study of ICT.

The two-day workshop is being organised by the Ministry of Communications under its Girls in ICT programme to help bridge the gender gap in ICT and to encourage more girls to pursue careers in the field.

The girls will interact with accomplished women in the field of ICT who will help kindle their interest and find possible career paths in ICT.

After the workshop, 100 girls who excel will be further groomed as advocates and trainers in their schools and communities to help build the confidence of more girls in the subject.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries were selected from 14 districts, including Mfantseman, Ekumfi, Agona West, Gomoa West, Gomoa Central, Awutu Senya, Abura Asebu, Kwamankese, Assin Fosu and Cape Coast.

Others are Komenda-Edina-Eguafo Abrem, Twifo Atti Mokwa, Assin South, Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira and Assin North.

The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, said the Girls in ICT programme which was being rolled out across the country was also to ensure that Ghana had many more confident young people developing world-class digital solutions that could support the nation’s development agenda.

She said the fast-advancing technologically paced world required that the nation developed young people who were up to the task in developing technological solutions consciously, including all irrespective of gender.

“We want to see our young able to develop digitised solutions in the area of education, agriculture, e-commerce and all, and they need to have the skills to be able to do that,” she stated.

She explained that as part of creating a platform to unearth talents in girls in ICT, the “MsGeek Ghana” competition would be opened for young girls to compete in the creation of digital tools and applications and would seek to find problems to major developmental issues.

She admonished them to work hard to stay in school, saying “education is the key to personal advancement”.

Be curious and focused

The Chief Executive Officer of Busy Internet, Ms Rosy Fynn, urged the girls to be curious, well rounded and focused to achieve their desired aspirations.

A Senior Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr Mercy Badu, advised the girls not to be afraid to be different, aspire for greater heights and work hard for results.

Accept femininity

The Deputy IT Support Officer of the British High Commission, Ms Barbara Quantson, urged the girls to accept their femininity and work hard to embrace all opportunities for growth.

The Director of the Centre for Gender Research and Advocacy and Documentation at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Georgina Oduro, said it was important to make ICT a “gender neutral” subject considering the fact that it was part of people’s daily lives. She called for a digital takeover, with emphasis on girl inclusion, saying “we can’t leave the girls behind”.